The Boatswain
by The Passionate Admiral
Summary: Tumblebrutus meets a famously powerful cat. Shortly after, he finds himself involved in a power struggle, a war, and a secret plot. Overtime, he and his best friend Jemima develop stronger feelings for each other.
1. Best Of Friends

The Boatswain

Author: The Passionate Admiral

Rating: T

Disclaimer: If I owned CATS, I wouldn't have let them release the video version without "Growltiger's Last Stand." But I don't own CATS, and the people who made the video version actually had the GALL to exclude it.

Plot: While taking a stroll down by the docks, Tumblebrutus meets a cat he has both feared and admired for a long time. The cat presents Tumblebrutus with an offer that is too great for him to resist. This fanfic is based off a few lines from "Growltiger's Last Stand" in T.S. Eliot's _Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats_. On a side note, everything in this story takes place in-between chapters 1 & 2 of my fanfic "Choices" (except for a later chapter which will take place in the past).

Tumblebrutus was pacing back and forth in his den. He was busy thinking about a very important matter.

It was not a real crisis, or a problem threatening the Jellicle Junkyard that was on his mind; it was actually a very simple matter. Tumble was planning to talk to a certain queen-kit about a very important matter.

This particular queen-kit was Jemima, the youngest member of the tribe. She was Tumblebrutus' best friend, and she meant a lot to Tumble.

"Let's see here," Tumble muttered to himself, "Maybe I should open with 'Hi, Jem. Do you have a moment?'… No, no, no. That would give her a wrong impression; she would probably think I'm just trying to have a friendly conversation with her."

He continued pacing around his den. After a moment, he said "I could say 'Jem, it's imperative that I speak with you.'" He paused to think about this new approach and then he decided "Definitely not; she would freak out if I said that!"

There was silence once again as Tumble walked around the den. Then he said "I've got it! I'll tell her 'Jem, I'm a tom; you're a queen…' Oh, what the hell am I saying? I can't do this; I'll just make myself look like an idiot!"

Despite this brief moment of cynicism and doubt, Tumblebrutus was still determined to talk to Jemima about a personal matter that night. Eventually, he decided to ask someone else for help in how he should proceed.

He knew just the tom to ask.

Tumblebrutus hastily went over to Rum Tum Tugger's den and walked up to the door. He was about to knock, but then he hesitated. But after a moment, he went ahead and knocked on the door. A moment later, the Maine Coon answered the door. He appeared to be very tired, and his mane was messed up.

When he saw who it was, he grinned and said "Evening, Tumble."

"Good evening, Tugger," said Tumblebrutus, "Busy night?"

"Ehh, you could say that," Tugger smirked, looking back into the den for a moment. Then he turned back to Tumble and said "Exotica may be a rather mysterious queen, but I'm starting to understand her secrets… if you know what I mean."

_Okay, that's a little too much information, _thought Tumble. Then he simply said "Tugger, I need your advice on a particular subject."

"Is it about a queen?" Tugger asked immediately.

"Yes, it is," Tumble nodded.

"And who, might I ask, is the lucky queen?" Tugger smirked at his young friend.

"Jemima," Tumble answered, "I need your advice on how to talk to her."

"Alright," Tugger looked at his paw and examined his claws as he asked "First I must ask; in what stage in the relationship are you with her?"

Tumble looked nervously at the ground, and then he looked up at Tugger and said, slightly embarrassed, "I'm about to start it."

Tugger looked at the white and brown tom-kit and scoffed. "So, you're just beginning with her?"

"Yes, yes I am," Tumble admitted, "I finally decided that I should."

"Okay, then," said Tugger, "I'll be your instructor on how to properly get started."

For the next ten minutes, Rum Tum Tugger gave Tumblebrutus a lot of good tips and pointers. He was even kind enough to supply him with a list of things he should NOT do, such as open with "Nice evening, isn't it?"

After ten minutes, Tumble said "Alright, I think you've given me plenty of good tips, Tug. I'll go see if they work."

"Glad to be of assistance, Tumble," Tugger grinned, "Are you sure you don't need anything else?"

"Yes, I'm quite sure," Tumble replied.

"Good," Tugger said as he started to close the door to his den, "Now, if you'll excuse me. I'm about to find out just how dark Exotica's coat REALLY is."

Then he shut the door completely. Tumble just shook his head in ridicule and turned around. He muttered to himself "Maybe I should consider asking Alonzo for advice next time instead."

Tumble went to the clearing of the junkyard. There, he saw eight of his friends playing together. There were four other tom-kits: Plato, Admetus, Quaxo, and Pouncival. There were also four queen-kits: Victoria, Electra, Etcetera, and… Jemima.

Tumblebrutus went down to join the others.

When Quaxo saw his friend approaching, he waved at him and said "Hi, Tumble!"

"Hey, Quaxo," Tumble said in response. His attention was still focused primarily on Jemima.

Most of the other kittens had already had their minds set on whom to make their future mates. Quaxo and Victoria were with each other; Plato and Electra were with each other; Admetus and Etcetera were with each other, as well. The only other two kittens of the group that were single were Jemima and Pouncival. Pouncival was the youngest tom-kit in the tribe, but he seemed to prefer older queens, such as Bombalurina. He was secretly in love with her.

Tumblebrutus made his way over to Jemima, took in a deep breath, and said "Hi, Jem."

"Hi, Tumble," she said sweetly.

There was a moment of awkward silence between the two of them. Then Tumble said "Can… can I talk to you alone for a moment?"

Jemima did not even hesitate. She replied "Sure, I'd be happy to talk with you."

She turned to the others and said "I'll be right back."

Then she and Tumble walked to the front of the clearing where they could speak in private.

When they got there, Jemima asked Tumble "So, what is it you wanted to talk to me about?"

Up until this point, Tumble had been sure that he would be able to go through with his plan. Now he was having doubts at the worst possible time.

He began with "Well, uh… I, uh…"

"Yes?" Jemima listened to him and watched him curiously.

Tumble cleared his throat and said "Jemima… you and I have known each other for a long time."

"Yes, we have," Jemima nodded, "Is that all?"

"No, of course not," he chuckled, "I also wanted to say that… um, well… have you ever thought about queenhood?"

"Oh, yes, I have on numerous occasions," she said, "I actually look forward to it."

"So do I," said Tumble.

Jemima raised an eyebrow and she asked him in confusion "You look forward to queenhood?"

Tumble tried as hard as he could to suppress a laugh, but failed. Then he said "Sorry, I meant that I look forward to tomhood."

"Ah, ok," Jemima nodded again.

"What do you look forward to most of all?" inquired Tumble.

"Oh, I look forward to a lot of things," she said "I won't have a curfew, I'll be able to go places all on my own, and I won't be the youngest member of the tribe anymore."

"Why's that?" asked Tumble.

She smiled up at her best friend and said "Because by then, the tribe's next generation will have begun. I hope that I'll be a mother someday."

"So, that's what you look forward to the most?" said Tumblebrutus "You look forward to motherhood?"

"Well, that and one other thing," Jemima answered, "I look forward to the day I can choose a mate."

Tumblebrutus felt warm inside when he heard those words. He asked Jemima "Have you given any thought as to who'd like as your future mate?"

She shrugged and said "Now that I haven't really thought about. Why do you ask?"

Tumble stated to sweat when she asked that question. He could not think of anything he could say to answer Jemima's question without blowing his cover. He decided to just improvise. He said "Jemima, as I said earlier, you and I have known each other for a long time."

"Yes, you did tell me that," she said.

"You're my best friend," he told her.

"Thank you," she grinned, "And you are mine."

Tumble smiled back. But he was becoming very anxious about what he would say next. Finally, he said "Have you ever thought of… I don't know, maybe… being more than just 'best friends?'"

She looked at him in slight apprehension and said "What do you mean?"

"Well," he told her, "You and I know each other very well, but we've only liked each other as siblings. I don't think a sibling-like relationship is suitable for us."

Jemima was starting to become suspicious. She said "Tumble, what exactly are you implying?"

Tumblebrutus suddenly grabbed his forehead with his front paws and shouted in frustration, much to Jemima's alarm.

Across the clearing, the other kittens looked over to the source of the commotion, and they saw Tumble shouting.

Finally, Tumble just looked at Jemima and said loudly both to her and himself "Who am I kidding? I can't go through with this!"

Then he turned and ran out of the clearing to the front entrance of the junkyard as fast as he could.

"Tumble, wait!" Jemima called after him, trying to follow him.

Jemima tried to keep up with Tumble, but he was much faster than she was. After a while, she just gave up.

The other kittens soon reached her.

"Jem, what happened?" asked Victoria.

"I… I don't know, Vickie," Jemima answered, "One moment, Tumble and I were talking. The next, he was getting nervous and now he's run off!"

"Don't worry," said Pouncival, "He'll be back within a few hours."

"How do you know?" asked Admetus.

"This isn't the first time Tumblebrutus has left the junkyard for a short period of time," Pouncival enlightened his friend, "He usually does this whenever he feels distressed. Trust me; he'll be back long before morning."

"Alright, then," said Admetus, "But are you sure we shouldn't go after him?"

"No, I learned the hard way that he doesn't like to be disturbed when he's in one of these 'moods,'" said Pouncival, "We should just let him alone."

The other kittens decided to follow Pouncival's advice, and then everyone returned to the clearing. Everyone except Jemima, that is. She just stood near the entrance of the junkyard and looked out into the streets of London. Somewhere, in that huge city, her best friend was alone, leaving her to just guess what the main subject of the conversation really was.

Note: The next chapter will get into the main part of the plot. I did not plan to put this much fluff into the first chapter, but then I thought "What the hell? I may as well appease the Jemima/Tumblebrutus fans."


	2. The Dangers Of The Docks

Tumblebrutus, at that time, was running aimlessly through the streets of London, half-thinking to himself _Nice going, Tumble. You just HAD to screw that conversation up._

The other half of his mind was telling him _This is not your fault. It's no one's fault; you just weren't prepared enough yet. Just give yourself more time to think this over._

Eventually, Tumblebrutus came to the docks along the Thames River. He went down to the pier and started pacing back and forth again along the wooden platforms.

"How could that happen?" he shouted at himself "I knew I shouldn't have deviated from Tugger's advice. I should have just done EXACTLY what he told me to do. But NOOO ... I had to be all subtle and vague instead of straightforward and coherent."

Tumble was really upset with himself. He had planned to speak to Jemima about having a more serious relationship with her, and now he had just made himself look like a fool in front of her and their friends.

"It was just THREE WORDS!" he continued yelling at himself, "All you had to say was THREE SIMPLE WORDS to her! You just had to say 'I… love… you!' Was that really too hard for you to accomplish?"

Finally, he calmed down and went to the edge of the dock. He looked down at the water and saw his reflection in it. He just sighed and said "All I had to tell her was that I love her. Why didn't I just tell her that straight out? Why did I have to make myself look so thickheaded?"

He continued to look at his reflection, and after a few moments of silence, he said "I'm just fooling myself. How could this type of relationship work out between me and Jemima, anyway? I mean, she herself does not seem to show any indication that she loves me in return. Besides that, we've been best friends for a long time."

There was a little more silence, and then Tumblebrutus said "Maybe Jemima doesn't want us to be more than friends. Maybe she likes our relationship just the way it is. If that is the case, I may have to accept that."

However, Tumblebrutus was very hopeful that Jemima would not reject the concept of having such a romantic relationship with him.

From the day Jemima was born, Tumble liked her as a friend. Overtime, when the two of them were out playing with the other kittens, Tumble and Jemima built up a close friendship with each other.

Not long after that, Tumblebrutus started experiencing a rather peculiar sensation when he was around Jemima. He did not know what exactly he was experiencing, but it made him feel joyful, excited, and at ease.

After a while, his curiosity led him to ask his parents, Asparagus and Jellylorum, about this sensation. After describing it to them as best he could, his parents quickly determined that the emotion he was experiencing around Jemima was actually love. Tumble denied this conclusion at first, but overtime, he found himself becoming more and more attracted to Jemima.

Finally, he admitted to himself that he was in love with her. But he did not tell anybody else about it, especially his brother Pouncival and his sister Etcetera. He knew that the two of them would tell Jemima in a heartbeat. So he kept his love for her a secret.

However, Tumblebrutus started thinking about the future shortly after this, and he knew that in a few months' time, Jemima would be old enough to pick a mate. He decided that he would start a romantic relationship to her while he still had plenty of time until she came of age. His only problem was that he was not sure how to begin the relationship itself.

Tonight had been the first night where he had approached Jemima in an attempt to address this subject with her. But he had failed miserably by freaking out and running off.

Tumble just looked towards the sky and said "Oh, Everlasting Cat, give me the strength I need to tell Jemima I love her. Please, I beg of you."

There was another brief moment of silence. Then Tumble continued talking to himself.

"I can't go back now," he decided, "If I go back right now, I'll just look dumber than before. I think I should wait a few hours, and then I'll go back to the junkyard."

Tumblebrutus decided that he would not go back to the junkyard until about two in the morning. Then he would go home. That gave him six hours to spend all to himself. His only problem was finding something to keep himself busy that long.

"I suppose I could hang around here for a while," he said to himself, "Then maybe later on I could stop by West End and sneak into a play. Humans are pretty good at performing and acting. They're certainly better at acting than some of us in the Tribe."

He scoffed at his own remark and went on "I could also pay a visit to Big Ben or the Eye. Those are both terrific sights. But for now, I think I'll just find something to do around here."

Tumble sat down at the edge of the dock and looked out into the water. It was a bit of a foggy night, but it was still light enough for Tumble to clearly see everything within a five meter radius.

As he gazed out into the Thames River, he started humming a tune to himself. The tune belonged to a recent love song. Tumble did not know much about the song's history, except that it was a folk song and it was the most famous song written by an Irishman named Johnny Duhan.

Pretty soon, Tumble started singing the song softly to himself. He thought of Jemima the whole time as he sang:

"I… am a sailor; you're my first mate.

We signed on together; we coupled our fate.

We hauled up our anchor, determined not to fail.

For the heart's treasure, together we set sail."

He would have continued singing, but he suddenly heard a loud THUD come from further down the pier. Tumblebrutus stopped singing and looked in the direction of the commotion. He stood up and whispered to himself "What the hell was that?"

He decided to investigate the matter. He quietly and slowly walked down the docks in the direction of the noise. As he got closer, he started to hear voices. They belonged to two young adult toms. Tumble could not make out what they were saying at first, but as he got closer, he could understand them.

One of the toms was saying "I hear we'll be shipping off soon. We'll be heading for Vauxhall."

"Really?" said the other tom, "That's odd; I was told that we're leaving for Pimlico next."

"How can that be?" asked the first one, "Pimlico is past Vauxhall. I know for a fact that both of them are on our itinerary, but why would we first go to the one further away from our current position?"

That whole time, Tumblebrutus had been creeping a little more towards the two toms. By then, he could see the two of them very clearly. One of them was a cream and brown tabby. The other was a brown and grey patched tom. Both of them were loading crates into the open cargo hold of a barge.

Neither of them looked particularly friendly. In fact, when he was close enough, Tumblebrutus could see that each of them had a belt on. The belts contained an assortment of tools, devices, and weapons on them, particularly blades. The sight of the blades incited Tumble to hide from the toms. He hid behind a group of crates as he got closer to them. Then he continued to listen in on their conversation.

The patched tom said as he and his colleague worked "Perhaps he has some very important business to get done there first. I mean, I am absolutely certain that we're going to Pimlico before we go to Vauxhall."

"Well, whatever the reason, we can always ask the boss about it later on," the cream and brown tabby decided.

"Yeah, let's just do that," the patched tom agreed as they moved more crates.

"Hey, Victor, George, how's it going down there?" a voice called to them from the top deck of the barge.

"We're almost done, Skin!" the cream and brown tabby – Victor – reported.

"Good, the boss wants us ready to go long before we depart tomorrow," said the voice from the top deck, "And I suppose I don't have to remind you two about what happens when he gets disappointed."

"Don't worry about that; we should be finished within the hour," said the patched tom – George.

"Alright, I'll let him know of your progress," said the third party – known just as "Skin" at that point.

Tumblebrutus had remained perfectly still behind the pile of crates up until that point. Just then, a fly flew past his eyes. He almost involuntarily tried to swat it. But in doing that, he accidentally hit one of the crates.

This sound was quickly noted by the other three toms.

"What was that?" asked George.

"I don't know," replied Victor as he turned to the pile of crates, "But I think it came from over there."

"Go check it out," Skin ordered them.

The first two nodded, and they each drew a knife from their belts. Slowly, the two of them started to approach the crates. They had their knives raised partway as they got closer.

Tumblebrutus could see their shadows as they got closer. He started to sweat out of fear.

As they got closer, Victor made gestured to George to go around the crates from the opposite side. The latter of them nodded, and after they got into position, they moved in.

When they came around, both of them spotted Tumblebrutus. They pointed their knives at him and said menacingly "Don't move."

Tumble raised his paws in a surrendering position, but then he struck both of them at a certain part on their necks with the agility of a hawk. They were left momentarily disoriented and Tumble took advantage of that opportunity to take off running.

"Shit!" shouted George as the two of them regained their coordination.

"Skin, we have an intruder!" Victor reported to the cat on top of the boat, "He's trying to make a run for it!"

"Okay, hang on!" shouted Skin, "I'll be down in a moment with Bill Bailey and Carbucketty!"

"We'll see if we can catch him!" said George, "We'll need you to cut off the escape routes!"

"Alright, I'll be sure to tell them that!" said Skin, "Right now, I want you two to concentrate on finding that cat before he gets away!"

"Got it!" shouted Victor. He and George ran after Tumblebrutus.

At that time, Tumble was running frantically across the docks. It had gotten darker over the past few minutes, and he could barely even see three meters in front of himself. Before he knew it, he lost track of where he was. He searched for an exit from the docks, but he could not find one.

After a minute, he could see a silhouette approaching him on one side of the platform he was on. It was Victor.

Tumble started to run in the opposite direction, but then he saw George blocking the way.

The two of them slowly began to approach him with their knives drawn.

"Try to elude us again and you'll regret it," George threatened him.

Tumblebrutus looked all over for an escape route, but he had nowhere to run.

Just then, he had an impulsive idea. He went over to the edge of the dock and jumped over it, taking both George and Victor by surprise. They ran over to the spot Tumble had jumped and looked over the side. Tumble was nowhere in sight.

"That's peculiar," said Victor, "He's not up here and he's not in the water."

"Maybe he vanished into thin air," George speculated.

Unbeknownst to either of them, Tumblebrutus was actually hanging on the edge of the dock right under them. He was able to keep himself completely hidden from their view in that position.

"Any sign of him?" they heard a voice ask.

George and Victor turned to see Skin approach them. He was accompanied by a white and ginger tom and a patched brown and black tom. Skin was armed with a knife; the other two were each armed with a spear.

"We JUST cornered him a moment ago," said Victor, "But he disappeared right after he jumped over this edge."

"Really?" said Skin.

"See for yourself," said George.

Skin looked over the side and saw no sign of Tumblebrutus initially. But then something caught his eye. He saw a cluster of cat hairs hanging out from underneath the bottom of the edge. He wondered where those could have come from for a moment, and then realization quickly dawned on him.

Skin leaned over the edge and pushed the cat hair clusters away. It immediately became apparent that those hairs belonged to Tumble's paws, as Tumble lost his grip on the edge and he fell into the water below.

"Ah, there he is," Victor grinned.

Tumblebrutus struggled to keep his head above the surface, but he was not a very good swimmer. He just thought to himself _This is very damn bad. How the hell am I going to get out of this water?_

As the other five cats watched him struggle, four of them scoffed at his dilemma. Skin, however, soon started to take pity on him. He told the others "Let's pull him up."

"What?" said George "Why should we?"

"Guys, take a good look at him!" said Skin "He's only a kitten! Do you really want to tell the boss that we killed a kitten for trespassing?"

"Well, no," said Victor, "But what will we do with him after we pull him up?"

"We'll talk about that later," said Skin, "Now pull him up."

No one made a move right away. Skin then said "NOW!"

The two cats with spears – Carbucketty and Bill Bailey – stepped forward and lowered their spears into the water. They called out to Tumblebrutus "Grab on!"

Tumblebrutus was quick to grasp the spears as tightly as he could. With their combined effort, Bill Bailey and Carbucketty were able to lift him out of the water.

When he was back on the dock, Tumble was just on his knees, coughing. He rubbed his eyes and then looked up at Skin and the others. He nervously said "Um, thank you… thank you for getting me out of there."

Skin smiled down at him in a very odd manner. Part of his smile seemed to be motivated by sympathy; the other part seemed to be motivated by wickedness. He kneeled down to Tumble and said "Don't thank me yet."

Then he turned around and said to Billy Bailey and Carbucketty "Take him aboard."

The two of them nodded and they each went to one of Tumble's sides. Both of them held onto him and forced him onto his hind feet. Then they led him back to the barge with Skin, Victor, and George following them close behind.

The entire time, Tumblebrutus dared not to utter a single word.


	3. An Irresistable Offer

Pretty soon, the six toms reached the barge. Bill Bailey and Carbucketty led Tumblebrutus none too gently up a ramp to the top deck. George, Victor, and Skin followed them up to the bridge. Once they were all on board, Skin told the others "Stay here and make sure he does not get away. I'll go get the boss."

He then went through a door that led to the lower levels of the vessel.

Up until this point, the five sailor cats had only referred to their leader as "The Boss." Tumblebrutus did not have to slightest idea as to what the captain's real name was, but, based on his crew's overall behavior, Tumble concluded that he was not a very cordial tom.

Tumble did not speak a single word while they waited. Victor, George, Carbucketty, and Bill Bailey were keeping a close eye on him, but they did not seem to pay him their exclusive attention. Tumble could tell that all four of them did not want him on board the ship. After all, the only reason Tumble was still alive was because Skin had gotten the others to fish him out. Tumble could only assume that the other toms would have simply let him drown.

Having fallen into the river did not help Tumble's situation either. In addition to being afraid, he was tired, cold, and wet. He tried his best to conceal his discomfort, but he could not help shivering.

About three minutes later, Skin returned to the bridge with a red and tan striped tom. Initially, Tumblebrutus could not make out the tom's complexion, but as he got closer, many details became discernable.

The tom wore an eye patch over his right eye. His left ear was partially mangled. His coat was torn and uneven; his knees were rugged.

Tumblebrutus quickly realized who this tom was all on his own. Tumble had been aware of his reign on the Thames River ever since he was very young. This tom was known by the alias of "The Terror of the Thames," but his given name was Growltiger.

Tumblebrutus just stared in terror at the Bravo Cat as he got closer. He tried to move, but Bill Bailey and Carbucketty were still restraining him tightly.

Growltiger continued to approach Tumblebrutus until he was just five feet away from him. Then he stopped in his tracks; Skin stopped about two feet behind him diagonally to the right.

Growltiger then took a few moments to study Tumblebrutus closely. He visually surveyed every detail of the white and brown kitten, and then he asked aloud "What have we got here, Grumbuskin?"

"Victor and George found him down on the docks," Skin – now properly identified as 'Grumbuskin' – informed his boss, "He appeared to be eavesdropping on their conversation."

"Why is he covered in water?" inquired Growltiger

"He tried to get away when we discovered his presence," said Grumbuskin, "In the process, he fell into the river. But I ordered the others to fish him out and bring him here, since I knew you wouldn't be pleased."

"I see," Growltiger muttered, rubbing his chin with his front paw. He stepped a little closer to Tumble, and then he looked at Carbucketty and Bill Bailey and gave them a nod.

At that signal, the two of them roughly pushed Tumblebrutus closer to their boss. Tumblebrutus stumbled and collapsed onto his stomach. He laid there for a moment, and then he slowly looked up at Growltiger.

The Bravo Cat started walking around the white and brown kitten in circles very slowly. He asked him "What is your name?"

Jellylorum and Asparagus had told Tumblebrutus never to talk to anyone he did not know. But given his current situation, he did not have much of a choice. He nervously answered "M-my name is T-Tumblebrutus, s-sir."

Growltiger continued walking around Tumblebrutus, watching him intently. He asked him "What did you overhear?"

"N-nothing important," Tumble insisted, "I only heard something about how this vessel is going to Pimlico and Vauxhall in a certain order. I also heard them say that you plan to depart from this port tomorrow. Other than that, I did not hear anything of any significance."

Growltiger kept his gaze focused on Tumblebrutus. He next said to him "Tell me, Tumblebrutus, why were you here to begin with?"

Tumble did not answer straight away; he first took a few moments to compose his response. Then he said "I was just going for a walk. I needed to get out and spend some time by myself."

"He's lying!" said George.

"George, quiet!" shouted Growltiger.

"If you were just going on a walk, then why were you eavesdropping on my men's conversation?" said Growltiger.

"Well," said Tumble, struggling not to stutter because he was still very wet and cold, "I was just sitting on the edge of the dock when I heard a loud 'THUD.' I was both concerned and curious, so I went to investigate. When I saw them, I decided to hide to avoid being seen. I did not really mean to listen in on their conversation, but my ears would not agree with my mind."

Growltiger took in a moment to think about Tumble's last answer, and then he turned to Grumbuskin and said "You told me that he tried to get away from you and the others?"

"Yes, he did," nodded Grumbuskin, "I must say, for a kitten, he is rather quick and agile."

"Really?" said Growltiger, looking at Tumble and raising an eyebrow. Then he looked back at Grumbuskin and told him "Tell me everything about your little 'chase.'"

Grumbuskin and the other four toms went into a lengthy explanation of their first direct encounter with Tumblebrutus. They were even keen to mention the parts where he had disoriented George and Victor by striking them at a certain place on their necks, how he had run down the marina in an unpredictable method so that they would lose track of him, and how he had jumped over the side of the dock and held onto it in a position so that he would be almost completely invisible form them.

When they were finished recounting the event to their boss, Growltiger gazed at Tumblebrutus with a mixed look of astonishment and interest. Then he said "I must say, Tumblebrutus, you certainly are elusive."

"Umm…" began Tumble, who was something surprised by Growltiger's comment, "Thank you, sir."

There was a few moments of silence, and then a new idea sprang into Growltiger's head. He approached Tumblebrutus and held out his front paw to him.

At first, Tumble only stared at Growltiger's paw in apprehension, as he did not know what might happen if he reached for it. However, he got a little bolder and took Growltiger's paw in his own.

The Bravo Cat vigorously shook paws with the knockabout kitten, and he smiled down at him. He may have looked vicious and cruel, but he had a rather warm smile.

When the pawshake was done, Growltiger said "Tumblebrutus, I believe that you, my men, and I may have gotten off on the wrong paw. Allow me to introduce myself. I am-"

"Growltiger," Tumble answered for him, "Known far and wide as 'The Terror of the Thames,' having a reign that extends from Gravesend to Oxford, most feared rival of all Persian and Siamese cats, and feared throughout all of London."

Growltiger simply looked down at Tumble and gave an interested nod. Then he assumed "You are familiar with my work?"

"Y-Yes, sir," said Tumble, "In fact, I'm something of a fan. You see, your fame does not only exist on the parts of London connected to the water; it has also spread further into the city."

Growltiger smiled again and said "Well, thank you for that, Tumblebrutus. Anyway, welcome aboard my ship: the _Demagogue_."

Tumblebrutus looked around in both interest and disbelief. He could not believe it; he was on the famed vessel itself!

Grumbuskin took a few steps closer to Growltiger until he was standing right next to him.

Once Tumblebrutus returned his attention to Growltiger, the Bravo Cat placed one of his front paws on the shoulder of the tom standing next to him and said "I'd like to properly introduce you to my crew. First of all, this is my first officer, Grumbuskin."

Grumbuskin, who Tumble could finally make out through the fog as a black-and-grey striped tom, gave Tumble a salute and a welcoming grin. Tumble returned the salute and the grin.

Growltiger walked over to the other four toms on the other side of the bridge. He placed his paw on the first one he came to and told Tumble "This is Victor, our second officer and navigator."

Victor – along with the other three toms with him – still had an icy stare across his countenance. Tumblebrutus just gave a friendly nod at him.

"These are three more of my senior staff," said Growltiger, introducing the other three toms in turn, "This is George, our cargo manager. This is Bill Bailey, our chief of security. And this is Carbucketty, our chief engineer."

Tumblebrutus had decided to be optimistic in his current scenario, and he said to the last three cats "Pleasure to make your acquaintance."

"Charmed," the three of them said sarcastically in unison.

There were a few moments of silence. Then Growltiger placed one of his paw's on Tumblebrutus' back. Tumble's coat was still soaked with water from the river. Growltiger said "You must be freezing if you fell into the river."

Tumblebrutus knew that he was cold, but he did not realize just how cold he was until that time. He folded his arms and shivered unpleasantly. Then he answered through chattering teeth "Y-y-yes, s-sir. The w-w-water is ve-very c-c-cold."

Growltiger smiled down at him and said "Here, come downstairs with me to our lounge. The fireplace in that room produces heat warm enough to dry even a completely soaked coat off."

Tumblebrutus was rather surprised at how courteous Growltiger was being. He had heard many stories about his famous conquests and battles, but never had he known a tale in which Growltiger demonstrated benevolence towards a total stranger.

However, Tumble decided not to disregard his luck. He said "Umm… if you have no problem with that, then… I would like that."

"Follow me," Growltiger led Tumble over to a door in a wall that led down to the lower decks. The two of them went down a flight of stairs. Grumbuskin followed the two of them. Just before he passed through the door, he looked over his shoulder at the others and told them "See to your duties."

They nodded in respect and waited for Grumbuskin to leave. Once he was gone, the four of them just looked at each other in confusion.

"I wonder why the Boss is being so genial all of a sudden," Bill Bailey announced his thoughts.

"I don't know," Carbucketty shrugged, "Maybe he has a plan. A plan that involves that kitten."

"What possible use could that kitten be to us?" asked George.

"We'll just have to wait and see," Victor concluded, "Come on, let's get back to work."

Carbucketty went to one of the lower decks of the vessel to the engine room. Bill Bailey went to his office to oversee the vessel's security measures. Victor and George went back down to the marina to resume loading the crates into the cargo bay.

A few decks below, in the middle of the ship, Growltiger led Tumblebrutus to a private room. Once the two of them and Grumbuskin were inside, the Bravo Cat shut the door.

Tumble was greatly impressed with the layout of the room. The ceiling and walls were painted an even shade of maroon. The walls were adorned with numerous paintings and treasures. Desks, chairs, tables, couches, and over furniture were evenly spaced and distributed throughout the room. The floor was lined with a rich silk rug. There were a few filing cabinets near the desks and a refrigerator and bar opposite the entrance. There were also a fireplace at the far end of the room, and two closets were on the adjoining walls – one on each side of the fireplace.

After studying the lounge, Tumblebrutus was escorted by Growltiger over to the fireplace. The heat emanating from it certain was quite suitable for him. He huddled near the fireplace and rubbed his front paws together.

"Here," Growltiger tossed the white and brown tom-kit a towel. Tumble caught it and wrapped himself in it.

Growltiger then went over to the bar and started to make himself a cocktail.

As Tumblebrutus sat near the fire drying off, Grumbuskin came over to him with a very small box in one of his paws. He opened the box to reveal a small amount of _nepeta cataria_.

"Catnip?" Grumbuskin offered.

Tumblebrutus held his paw up and said solemnly "No, thank you."

"Are you sure?" Grumbuskin asked him.

"Grumbs, remember; he's only a kitten," Growltiger reminded his first mate as he walked across the room to a chair near the fireplace and sat down.

"Oh, right," Grumbuskin turned to his captain and held the box out to him, saying "Then what about you, boss? You would you care for some catnip?"

"No, thank you, Grumbs," Growltiger replied sternly, "I'd like to have a clear head tonight."

Grumbuskin just shrugged and said "More for me."

Grumbuskin sat down in a chair on the other side of the room with his drink in one paw. Then he picked out a small amounted of the crushed leaves from the box, brought them up to his nose, and inhaled them. After a moment, he chuckled and said loudly "Woo! Gee, that is some potent crap!"

Tumble was rather interested in what was going on. First, he had learned that Growltiger was not as malevolent as he had heard. Then he had learned that Growltiger and his crew had a decent sense of décor. Now, he discovered that Growltiger's second-in-command was something of a drug addict.

There was a few seconds of silence, and then Tumble decided to break the silence. He looked around the room and said "This is a very elegant lounge."

"It's the officer's lounge," Growltiger informed him, "It's specifically reserved for the ship's top officers."

"I'll say," scoffed Grumbuskin. He then told Tumble "Victor and I are the only ones he allows in here."

"Well, I'm grateful that you invited me in here," said Tumble as he stood up and hung the towel on a rack, "I probably would not have dried off so quickly had I not come in here."

"You'll find that I am not always as hard-hearted as people make me out to be," Growltiger stated, as if he was reading Tumble's thoughts.

"There is one thing that peaks my interest as well, Tumblebrutus," said Grumbuskin.

"What is that?" asked Tumble.

"Why did you choose to come here?" Grumbuskin asked the young tom.

"Whenever I'm under a lot of stress, this is always the first place I go," Tumble explained, "However; this is the first time I've come when the docks haven't been deserted."

"Why the docks?" asked Growltiger, "Just what about them relieves your stress?"

"I-I… I don't really know," said Tumblebrutus, "There's just something about them… being alongside the river somewhat sets my mind at ease. I believe that the difference between land and water is more than just a physical difference. Land can sometimes be rough and rigid, but the waters themselves are calm and peaceful. In a peculiar way, it almost feels as if… as if… they're calling to me whenever I'm under stress. I know that must sound crazy to you."

"Oh, no," Grumbuskin shook his head, "No, no, no, no. To the contrary, I know exactly what you mean. I felt many of those sentiments when I was your age. In fact, those qualities inspired me to take up this job in the first place."

After he took in what Grumbuskin told him, Tumblebrutus said to the Bravo Cat "Sir, excuse me for asking, but is there a specific reason as to why you brought me down here other than to let me dry off?"

"Actually, there is, Tumblebrutus" Growltiger responded, taking a sip of his cocktail, "There is a certain matter I wished to discuss with you. However, I wanted to confer it in private with only you and Grumbuskin."

"Alright," said Tumble, "What would you like to discuss?"

There was a little more silence and finally Growltiger told Tumble "Based on what Grumbuskin and the others tell me, you possess great speed, tactics, and dexterity."

"What do you mean?" asked Tumble.

"I am referring to when you attempted to get away from my crew," Growltiger elucidated him, "You distracted Victor and George – two grown toms – simply by striking each of them on a sensitive spot on their necks. Then, you ran around the docks themselves in a pattern that would confuse your pursuers. You almost got away, too, thanks to your ability to jump over a ledge and grab onto it at the last moment while remaining almost completely unhidden. Had it not been for Grumbuskin's keen eye, I am sure you would have successfully escaped."

"Well, thank you for recognizing my luck, sir," said Tumble.

"'Luck?'" said Growltiger "Tumblebrutus, I've faced many cats that were far 'luckier' than you. All of them ended up dying in battle or walking the plank. What you used to get away was not luck; it was skill."

"Do you really believe that, sir?" asked Tumble.

"Yes," Growltiger nodded, "I also believe that a skill like that should not be wasted. That is the real reason why I wanted to speak to you."

"You wanted to talk about my skills?" Tumble assumed.

"That is part of the matter," said Growltiger, "But I am also offering you a way to put your skills to good use."

"How so?" asked the white and brown tom-kit.

Growltiger looked over at Grumbuskin, as if waiting for a signal. Grumbuskin just looked over at his boss and nodded. Growltiger turned his head back to Tumblebrutus and answered his question: "I want to offer you a position here on my ship."

Tumblebrutus could not believe what he was hearing. Growltiger had long been one of the cats he admired the most. Now, not only had he been given the opportunity to meet the tom, but he had also been given the opportunity to work for him!

"YOU want ME to work for YOU?" Tumble stammered in bewilderment.

"I think all the circumstances would tend to work in the favor of both of us," said Growltiger, "Whenever you are under stress, you come to the docks first. You see the river as a way to relieve stress, and you feel a connection with it. This connection is not uncommon in a sailor's mind. You have the reflexes of a hawk and you are very evasive; we could use someone with those characteristics on certain missions. Also, you tell me that you are an admirer of mine. Based on all of that, it would seem logical to assume that you would accept my offer."

Tumblebrutus just sat in deep meditation. Growltiger's offer did sound very tempting to him, but in the back of his mind, he was asking himself questions. Some of these questions include "What would my parents think of this? How will the tribe react? What if Jemima does not approve of this?"

Jemima…

Now that Tumblebrutus really thought about it, Jemima was the whole reason why he was there at the docks to begin with. He wondered how she would react if he went back to the tribe and told everyone about this. He could anticipate many shocked reactions, including Jemima's.

He then said to the two older toms "No one outside the crew of this barge would have to know about this, right?"

"No, of course not," replied Grumbuskin, "Your membership would be kept a secret."

"Alright," Tumblebrutus sat thinking to himself for a long time, and then he asked "Do I have to make up my decision on this matter right now?"

"No, take as long as you need," said Growltiger.

"Well, do you suppose that I could return home and come back to you with my answer tomorrow night?" inquired Tumble.

"Certainly," said Growltiger, "Take as much time as you require; this is a critical decision, after all."

There was one last brief interval of silence between the three of them. Finally, Tumblebrutus said "I plan to go home now and think this over. Do you have any objections?"

"No, no," Growltiger looked at his first mate and told him "Grumbs, if you would not mind…"

"I'm on it, Boss," Grumbuskin went to the entrance of the room and held it open. Tumblebrutus slowly walked over to him. Just before he left the room, he turned back to Growltiger and said "Thank you again for your hospitality."

Growltiger just nodded, finished his cocktail, and said "I wish you a safe way home. I hope to see you again tomorrow night."

"But I thought you planned to leave this dock tomorrow?" said Tumble.

"We do," said Grumbuskin, "but we typically set off at midnight. You'll have until them to get back with your answer."

"Oh, okay," said Tumble, "That makes sense. Anyway, I wish you a pleasant evening, sir."

Growltiger waved his paw once as Tumble left the room behind Grumbuskin.

Grumbuskin and Tumblebrutus went back up to the bridge. After exchanging good-byes with the other known members of the senior staff one last time, Tumblebrutus went to the exit of the docks and left them. He took off running back home to the Jellicle Junkyard. The whole time, all he could think was his new situation. One moment, he was wallowing in self-pity on the docks for failing to tell Jemima that he loved her. The next moment, he was being welcomed by his misunderstood idol and offered a position on board his ship.

Growltiger was certainly right about one thing: Tumblebrutus could not take this decision lightly. He had to seriously think about it over the course of the next twenty-four hours.


	4. Influential Advice

Back at the Jellicle Junkyard, Jellylorum was looking for Tumblebrutus. She had not seen her son in hours, and she started to become very concerned when she could not find him.

She went to the center of the junkyard. There she found Munkustrap and Alonzo talking. She approached the two toms and asked them "Excuse me, Munkustrap, Alonzo, do you two have a moment?"

"Sure, Jelly, anything for you," Munkustrap nodded.

"I cannot find Tumblebrutus," Jellylorum explained to them, "I went to the clearing, and I found that all of the kittens except him are accounted for. I don't suppose that either of you have seen him?"

The two toms simply shrugged.

"Sorry, Jelly," said Alonzo, "I haven't seen Tumble since before noon."

"I saw him just after dinner," said Munkustrap, "But that was still several hours ago. However, I believe that Jennyanydots was with him not too long ago."

"Alright, thank you," Jellylorum went to meet up with the Gumbie Cat.

When she found her, Jenny was lecturing her daughter Rumpleteazer about taking things that did not belong to her. As usual, Rumpleteazer just pretended to listen and she ignored everything her mother told her.

When she was finished, Jenny asked "Are you going to take Bustopher Jones' spoon again?"

"No, I w'on't, Mom," Rumpleteazer sighed, "But on'ly bec'ause you th'ink 'e is SOO attra'ctive."

Jenny blushed furiously at hearing that last statement. Then she said nervously, "Don't… don't be ridiculous, Rumple. Now, go and stay out of trouble."

"Yes, ma'am," Rumple said, as if she was talking to a brick wall.

Once Rumple left, Jelly approached Jenny and asked her if she had seen Tumblebrutus. The Gumbie Cat said "I saw him with Pouncival earlier. They appeared to be stalking Bombalurina."

"About what time was this?" asked Jelly.

"Oh, I would say about four o'clock this afternoon," said Jenny. "But I'm afraid I have not seen him since then, Jelly."

"Alright, thank you for your help, anyway," Jelly thanked her closest friend.

Jellylorum decided to go to Bombalurina next. When she found the red and black queen, she asked her "Bomba, have you seen Tumblebrutus? Jenny told me he and Pouncival were around you earlier."

"Yes, they were, Jelly," the Red Queen nodded, "But Tumble left much sooner than Pounce did. I'm sorry, but I have not seen Tumblebrutus since five-thirty."

Bombalurina was about to leave when Jelly stopped here and asked "Where are you going?"

"Pouncival asked me out on a date," Bomba informed the elder queen, "I'm on my way to meet up with him in the clearing."

Jellylorum raised an eyebrow in interest and said "My younger son asked YOU out on a date?"

"Yeah, and you should have been there to see the way he asked me," grinned Bomba, "He was adorable! The poor guy was so nervous that he could barely even stand to look me straight in the eye."

"Why did you accept?" asked Jellylorum suspiciously, "Did you take pity on him? Or, are you just…?"

Bombalurina felt insulted. She insisted "You have my solemn word, Jelly; I'm not just using Pouncival. I really do like him. And, yes, I did somewhat take pity on him. But that's not the main reason why I accepted."

"Then I ask again: why did you accept?" queried Jellylorum.

"Because Pouncival is much more courteous and gentletom-like than Tugger is," Bombalurina answered, "I know full well that Tugger mostly just likes me for my body, while Pouncival is capable of seeing past that."

"Well, I'm glad to know that," said Jelly, "It means that I did a finer job of educating Pouncival in how to express love to others than Grizabella did with Tugger."

"Yes, you did," nodded Bombalurina. She then went off to find Pouncival.

However, she did not tell Jellylorum that she had another reason for going on a date with Pouncival. She also wanted to make Tugger jealous, as she was very aware that he was sleeping with Exotica. But she was true to her word; she was not just using Pouncival.

Jellylorum was running out of people to ask. She knew that Tumblebrutus had to be somewhere.

In actuality, Tumblebrutus was just a few blocks away, making his way home.

He still could not believe that he had just met Growltiger. So many things had just happened, and most of them had happened so quickly. One moment, Tumblebrutus had gone to the docks to relieve so stress. The next moment, he was returning home to the junkyard with an offer in mind.

_I wonder if I should tell anyone about this,_ he thought. _Nay, that would probably set off a bunch of rumors around the junkyard. Maybe I should keep this to myself. Or, I know someone I could talk to…_

Before long, Tumble arrived at the main entrance to the junkyard. He could hear a lot of voices in the clearing, so he figured that he had not been gone for very long.

At that same time, Jellylorum had arrived in the clearing. She went over to the kittens and asked any of them if they had seen Tumblebrutus recently.

Jemima was the first to answer. She nervously looked up at Jelly and told her "I actually saw him not too long ago, Jelly."

"At about what time was this, Jemima?" inquired Jelly.

"About eight o'clock this evening," answered the black and ginger kitten.

_Okay, that was just over two hours ago,_ thought Jellylorum. She looked down at Jemima and asked her "What was he doing with you?"

"He actually came to talk to me about something," said Jemima, "It must have been important, as he wanted to speak to me in private."

"He did?" said Jelly, "What was the subject of your conversation?"

"He talked about our friendship with each other," Jemima recalled, "He also pointed out how our relationship was only a sibling-like one. He then said something about 'being more than friends.'"

"And then what happened?" asked Jellylorum, becoming increasingly interested in what Jemima had to say.

"Well, I was a bit confused by his lack of directness," Jemima explained, "When I asked him what he meant, he just gave a frustrated shout and said 'Who am I kidding? I can't go through with this!' And then he hurried to the entrance of the junkyard and ran off into the city."

Jellylorum's eyes shot wide open. She said in shock "He **what**?"

"He just took off running," Jemima shrugged, "I haven't seen him since then."

Jemima saw something out of the corner of her eye. She turned to her left to get a better glimpse. Conveniently, Tumblebrutus had arrived in the clearing just at that time.

"Oh, there he is!" Jemima pointed out her best friend.

Jellylorum turned and saw her older son on the other end of the clearing. She quickly ran over to him.

Tumble looked up and saw his mother approaching him. He smiled and waved at her, saying "Hi, Mom!"

When Jellylorum reached Tumblebrutus, she frowned down at him and demanded "Tumblebrutus, where have you been? I've been looking everywhere for you!"

"I just went on a walk," Tumble claimed.

"Without telling anyone?" said Jelly.

"I assumed you wouldn't notice I was gone!" he insisted.

"Well, I did!" she scolded him, "I've been worried sick about you!"

Tumblebrutus looked down at his feet anxiously. After a moment's silence, he said "I'm sorry, Mom."

Jellylorum reached out to her son and pulled him close. She then told him "It's alright, Tumble. I'm sorry I yelled at you; I was just concerned for your well-being."

Tumblebrutus smiled up at his mother and returned the embrace. After coming apart, the two of them walked over to the group of kittens. Jemima greeted her friend with "Hi, Tumble! How was your walk?"

Tumble looked at her and answered "It went very well, Jem! It was quite adventurous."

"Yeah, Pounce told me how you like to go on one whenever you're under a lot of stress," Jemima commented.

This remark caught Jellylorum's attention. She looked down at Tumble and asked him "This has happened before?"

He did not answer immediately. After waiting a moment, Tumble admitted "Yes, it has happened several times in the past."

Jelly turned to her other son and said "Pouncival, you knew of this beforehand?"

"Well, yes, Mom, I did," Pouncival responded, somewhat fretfully. Wanting to change the subject, he said "Oh, look at the time! I'm almost late for my date with Bombalurina. I've got to go!"

Pouncival was about to take off running when Jellylorum grabbed his tail and pulled him back. Pouncival landed flat on his back and said "Oof!" when he hit the ground, making the other kittens giggle.

"You're not going anywhere until we've established a few rules about this 'going on a walk' thing of your brother's," said Jellylorum sternly.

Pouncival rolled his eyes as he got back onto his feet. Jellylorum looked down at her two sons and addressed the older one first "Tumblebrutus, I do not have any problem with you going on walks. But in the future, I would like you to tell someone first. Preferably me, your father, or Munkustrap. Any responsible adult cat will do, though."

"Yes, Mom," Tumble nodded.

Jellylorum turned her attention to her younger one and told him "Pouncival, is there anything else your brother does that I may not approve of but am not aware of?"

Pounce shook his head and said "No, Mom. As far as I know, this 'going on a walk when he is stressed' thing is the only thing that could be categorized that way."

"Alright, thank you for letting me know," said Jellylorum.

"May I go to my rendezvous with Bombalurina now?" Pouncival requested.

"Yes, you may," Jellylorum nodded.

Pouncival kissed his mother goodnight and went to meet up with the Red Queen. Jellylorum returned her attention to Tumblebrutus and asked him "What did your brother mean when he said that you were under stress?"

"That's the principal reason for why I go on walks," Tumble enlightened his mother, "Whenever I'm under a lot of stress, I pay the city a visit."

"What put you under that much stress tonight?" she asked.

Looking over at Jemima, Tumble answered "If you've spoken with Jemima, I'm sure she's already informed you about some of the matter."

Jemima turned to him and asked "What do you mean, Tumble?"

"Yes, what DO you mean?" inquired Jellylorum, "What put you under so much stress that you decided to leave the junkyard for a few hours?"

Tumblebrutus gazed over at Jemima for a few seconds. Then he leaned up to his mother's ear and whispered into it "I tried to tell Jemima that I love her, but I broke down and ran off because I couldn't bring myself to do so."

When Tumble moved away from his mother's ear, Jellylorum looked at her son in both surprise and happiness. She told him "Tumble, you shouldn't fell stressed about something like that! It's a perfectly natural thing."

"What does she mean?" asked Jemima.

Tumblebrutus really did not want to discuss the subject with Jemima just yet. He told her "I'll talk to you about it soon, Jem. Right now, I need some time to think."

"Think about what?" asked Jellylorum.

"About what I just told you," Tumble answered. Then he inaudibly whispered under his breath "Among other things."

"What was that, Tumble?" asked Jelly.

"Nothing, Mom," said the brown and white tom-kit, "I just need to get some rest now. That long walk kind of tired me out."

"Okay, goodnight," Jellylorum smiled down at him.

Tumblebrutus kissed his mother goodnight and went off to the den he shared with her, his father, and his siblings. He lay down in his bed and tried to get to sleep. But his mind was so busy reflecting on the events of the past few hours that he stayed wide-awake for quite a while. It was not until Etcetera came in to go to bed that Tumble finally managed to nod off.

The next morning, Tumblebrutus woke up bright and early. After eating breakfast, he went straight to thinking about Growltiger's proposal.

He found the decision to be much more difficult than he had originally thought it to be. He needed to be very careful about such a major decision.

Then he remembered that he had decided to seek someone else's guidance the previous night. And he knew just the cat to consult.

Tumblebrutus went to meet one of his more mysterious friends. He went up to the entrance of a den and knocked.

A black, white, and orange tom answered the door a moment later.

He smiled down at his visitor and told him "Good morning, Tumblebrutus."

"Good morning, Coricopat," said the white and brown tom-kit.

"Is there anything I can do for you?"

"Well, yes," said Tumble, "I am in the process of making an important decision. But I need your counsel."

"I'd be glad to help you," Coricopat nodded. The two toms then went off to the clearing.

At times, Coricopat was something of a therapist to the toms of the Jellicle Junkyard. His twin sister Tantomile was also somewhat a therapist to the queens of the Junkyard. When they were together, the two of them were said to be psychic. They could even sense minds of somebody they knew whenever that person was close by.

Coricopat and Tumblebrutus went to the clearing of the junkyard. They got onto the hood of the TSE-1 and sat there. Coricopat said "Tell me about your decision."

Tumble slowly nodded and said "I will, Coricopat, but I do not wish for you to tell anyone else about this without my approval."

Coricopat just smiled knowingly and said "Tumble, I wouldn't be a very good therapist if I did not believe in doctor-patient confidentiality, now would I?"

Tumble just shrugged and started his explanation "As you may know, last night I went on a walk in the city."

Coricopat nodded and said "Yes, I did hear about that. I also hear that you gave your mother quite a fright."

"Regretfully, yes," Tumble agreed, "But that's beside the point. You see, on my walk yesterday, I met this one tom that offered me…"

"Offered you what?" said Coricopat.

Tumblebrutus searched for the best word, and then he finished "He offered me a job."

"A job?" said Coricopat, "What sort of job?"

"One down by the docks of The Thames," Tumble enlightened him, "You see, I inadvertently demonstrated some of my skills while I was down there."

"What sort of skills?"

Tumble did not want to give a direct answer, so he just told Coricopat "He noticed my agility, my speed, and my cunningness."

"What was this tom's name?" said Coricopat.

"He didn't tell me," Tumblebrutus lied, "He must be a private person."

"I can understand that," said Coricopat. Tumblebrutus knew full well what he meant; Coricopat and Tantomile were very private cats. The only inhabitants of the Junkyard who knew much about them were their parents Enbiota and Bustopher Jones, and their uncle Old Deuteronomy.

"Anyway, what sort of tasks would this job employ?" inquired Cori.

"The tom did not tell me exactly," Tumble recalled, "But he seems very prestigious. I'm sure I'll only be working for him part-time, though."

"Are any of the tasks exceptionally dangerous?" asked Cori.

"Well, there may be a few dangerous things that his more experienced workers do," Tumble admitted, "But remember, Cori, I'm only a kitten. He would probably start me off with something menial. But as I make progress, I'm sure he'll give me more important assignments."

Coricopat took a little time to think about everything Tumblebrutus had just told him. Then, he looked him straight in the eye and said to him "Tumble, based off of everything you just told me, I see no reason for you to refuse this tom's offer. But I cannot make this decision for you. Only you can do that."

"Well, he wanted me to meet him again by midnight tonight with my answer," said Tumblebrutus, "But I plan to get there long before then."

"Well, then I wish you luck," said Coricopat, "And as long as you believe you are making the right choice, everything is alright with me."

Several hours later, at around nine o'clock that night, Tumblebrutus went on another walk (After informing Jellylorum, of course!). He made his way back to the docks, and he found Growltiger standing on the top deck of the _Demagogue_.

Tumblebrutus waved to the Bravo Cat, calling out his name "Growltiger! Growltiger!"

Growltiger looked down at the docks and saw Tumblebrutus approaching him. He announced to the others "Tumblebrutus has returned! Wait here while I go speak with him!"

Growltiger went down the ramp to meet Tumble on the docks. The two of them shook paws, and then all Growltiger said was "Well? What is your answer?"

Tumblebrutus grinned up at him and responded "I accept your proposition."


	5. First Night On The Job

Note: Sorry for taking a while to update. I've been busy working on my 9 fanfic "To Unite Us." Oh, and if you have not seen "9" (the animated Tim Burton film about nine sentient rag dolls that fight murderous machines in post-apocalyptic Earth), I would recommend that you see it. It's an amazing film. But that's just a suggestion. However, if you do decide to see it, I should warn you; for an animated film, it can be very dark and depressing at certain times.

Second Note: I'm sorry if this chapter seems to be a little rushed at certain points. I promise the next chapter will be more finely executed.

A satisfied grin slowly formed on Growltiger's face. He patted Tumblebrutus on the back and told him "Excellent choice, my lad."

The two of them walked back onboard the _Demagogue_. The whole of Growltiger's crew were already assembled there.

Growltiger escorted the young brown and white tom-kit to the center of the deck. Grumbuskin was there, waiting for them. When they arrived where he was, he called out "Attention on deck!"

Everyone quickly quieted down and turned to face their Captain and First Officer. Once the noise had died down, Growltiger called out "I have a brief announcement to make."

He looked around at his crew and told them "Many of you have probably heard rumors that an adolescent kitten was here last night. Those rumors are indeed correct."

He placed his paw on Tumble's back and continued "This young tom before you is that cat. His name is Tumblebrutus."

"Why does this concern us, Boss?" asked one cat off to the side of the boat.

"Because last night, he demonstrated numerous skills that allowed him to elude the notice of the senior staff on the docks," explained Growltiger, "And those types of skills could be very useful to us. Therefore, I offered him a position on board this ship."

The members of the crew all started muttering between themselves. Some seemed interested in this bit of news; others seemed somewhat skeptical.

"Now, that being said, we have a job to accomplish tonight," said Growltiger.

"We know that, Boss," said another cat, "We've been preparing for this 'job' at Vauxhall for days."

"Our business at Vauxhall tonight is not what I am referring to," said Growltiger, "We first have to pick up a passenger at Pimlico."

"I knew it!" George whispered to Victor "We ARE stopping at Pimlico first."

"I admit it; you were right," sighed Victor.

"Boss, who exactly is this passenger?" inquired another member of the crew.

"An old friend of mine," Growltiger answered, "A very close one, I might add. That's all I will say for now."

Everyone seemed to be satisfied with this information. Tumblebrutus was not, but he decided not to ask questions.

"I want everybody to report to their posts," said Growltiger, "We'll be departing immediately."

Immediately, all the members of the crew started moving about the deck. Most went through the doors on the top that went down to the lower levels. The rest stayed on the top deck.

Tumblebrutus went over to Grumbuskin and Growltiger asked the latter of them "What tasks would you like me to perform, sir?"

"First, I would like you to take up sentry duty," said Growltiger, "Just patrol the bridge for now. If you see anything noteworthy or suspicious, report it to Grumbuskin. You can also report it to Bill Bailey in his office."

"Where is his office?" inquired Tumble.

"His office is on Deck 3, Section 6-Gamma," answered Growltiger, "Do you have any more questions?"

"Yes, sir," nodded Tumblebrutus, "Just, how long do you need me on board the ship in terms of hours per day? Is this a part-time job, or a full-time? What I basically want to know is this: am I allowed to leave the ship?"

"Yes, of course," replied Growltiger, "Every member of the crew is free to come and go as he pleases, unless instructed otherwise. Only a few of us actually live on this barge. The rest have homes in the city."

"Oh, that's good," Tumble commented, "I have a family of my own in the city. In fact, it's not just a family; it's an entire tribe of cats."

"I see," said Grumbuskin, "Do any of them know about your being here?"

"Well, I did somewhat tell an older friend about this," Tumble answered carefully, "But I only told him that I would be working on the docks. I didn't mention your name or anyone else's name."

"Why did you tell him about it?" inquired Grumbuskin.

"I needed to consolidate him for his advice," replied Tumblebrutus, "He helped me in my decision to accept your offer. He also gave me his word that he would not tell anyone else about this matter. Believe me, I can trust him."

"Very well," said Growltiger. He turned to Grumbuskin and told him "I will be in the Officer's Lounge. Inform me when we reach Pimlico."

"Yes, sir," said Grumbuskin. Growltiger went through the door that led down to the lower decks. Grumbuskin turned back to Tumblebrutus and handed him a piece of paper, telling him "This is the official list of things you need to keep an eye out for. You can use it tonight while you're on duty, but I want you to memorize it as quickly as possible."

Tumblebrutus quickly skimmed over the list. Then he looked up at Grumbuskin and told him "I'll keep my eyes open for everything listed here."

"Excellent," said Grumbuskin, "I will be on the other side of the bridge if you need me."

Grumbuskin walked over to the other end of the deck. Tumblebrutus watched his silhouette slowly fade away. Then he turned his attention to the waters.

He watched as a few members of the crew untied the ropes that held the boat to the docks. Once they came back aboard, the walkway that connected the barge to the docks was retracted.

There was a room on the bridge where all the navigation was handled. Victor went into the room to take his place at the helm. Once he was prepared to set off, he announced over the ship's com system "All hands, prepare for departure!"

Tumble watched as everybody quickly grabbed onto something. He grabbed onto the railing at the side of the ship. Just moments later, the ship gave a powerful lurch as the engines started up.

Tumble looked down over the railing and saw that the ship was already moving. He did not know how fast it was going, but it was moving very quickly.

Once the ship was heading down the river, Tumble turned his attention to the area around it. He gazed at the list and studied its content two more times. He remained alert and watchful the whole time.

While the barge was underway, Tumblebrutus took a few moments to admire the river's beauty. The moonlight radiantly glistened off the water, creating quite a majestic sight in the late evening. Tumblebrutus was absolutely marveled by the sight.

"This already looks like it'll be a fantastic experience," Tumble said to himself.

After a few miles of traveling, Tumblebrutus still had not seen anything on the list, let alone anything suspicious. Victor said over the com system "Attention, all hands; we are reaching Pimlico! It is just ahead of the starboard bow."

Tumblebrutus looked toward the nearest docks, and he realized that the ship had indeed arrived in Pimlico.

At first, the docks seemed to be deserted. But as the ship got closer, Tumble spotted a figure at the entrance to the docks. All he could see initially was the figure's silhouette. After carefully focusing his attention on it, he realized what it was. It was a white, female Persian cat!

Tumblebrutus knew very well that Persians and all other cats of foreign race were sworn enemies of Growltiger. He did not even need to reference the list Grumbuskin gave him to confirm that.

Tumble quickly but quietly moved down to the other end of the main deck until he found Grumbuskin. When he found the barge's first officer, he anxiously told him "Grumbuskin, we have a bit of a problem."

"What's wrong, Tumblebrutus?" inquired Grumbuskin.

"I saw a Persian feline on the docks," Tumble answered quietly.

Grumbuskin stared down at Tumble in silence for a few moments. Then he said worriedly "Are you sure it was a Persian?"

Tumblebrutus nodded his head vigorously and said "Yes, I am absolutely sure."

"Damn," Grumbuskin muttered under his breath. Then he ordered Tumble "You go get Growltiger. I'll inform the rest of the crew."

Tumblebrutus quickly ran to one of the doors that led down to the lower decks. He quickly made his way to the Officer's Lounge, hastily pushing his way through any cat that happened to get in his path.

When he finally reached the officer's lounge, he knocked repeatedly on the door with his front paw until Growltiger answered it.

"What is it, Tumblebrutus?" inquired the Bravo Cat.

"As I'm sure you already know, we've arrived at Pimlico," Tumble replied.

"Good; very good," commented Growltiger. Noticing the worried expression on the young tom's face, he asked him "Is everything alright? What is bothering you?"

"I just spotted a Persian cat on the docks!" Tumble responded urgently, "I notified Grumbuskin, and he ordered me to inform you."

Growltiger seemed to remain indifferent to what Tumblebrutus was telling him. He just calmly asked him "Was the Persian a white queen?"

Tumble was rather surprised by this interesting question. He answered "Actually, it was a white queen."

"Then you have nothing to worry about, Tumblebrutus," Growltiger assured him, "That Perisan is the passenger we came to pick up."

Once again, Tumble was very surprised by what he was hearing. He stammered "But- but sir, I-I thought all foreign cats were your enemies!"

"All but one," Growltiger corrected him, "Now, follow me back up to the main deck. I'll introduce you to her."

He walked out of the Officer's Lounge and made his way back up to the bridge. Tumblebrutus followed him close behind.

When they arrived on the bridge, several members of the crew were assembled again. Some of them were armed, as if they were prepared to go into battle.

Grumbuskin went over to Growltiger and told him that he had the situation under control. He and the others had managed to spot the Persian cat on the docks, but they had been waiting for their Captain's orders to strike.

Growltiger made a brief announcement: "I wish to clarify something for everyone here. That Persian queen is the only cat of foreign race that I trust. We're here to take her aboard as a guest."

"Are you sure you can trust her, sir?" asked Victor.

"Yes, I am sure, and I'll explain all of this later," said Growltiger, almost as if he was trying to avoid the subject, "Right now, I want us to dock the ship and welcome her aboard. None of your questions will be answered until then. Is that understood?"

The other members of the crew agreed to their Captain's orders. When the ship reached the docks, the walkway was used to connect the main deck of the barge to the marina. Growltiger had his crew stand in two rows, one on either side of the walkway.

Slowly, the Persian queen came aboard the ship. Several members of the crew avoided eye contact with her, as they hated foreign cats almost as much as Growltiger did. However, a few crewmembers, such as Tumblebrutus, watched her in interest.

When the queen was aboard, Growltiger went over to her and bowed to her. She smiled at him and held out one of her front paws, saying "It is a pleasure to see you again, Lord Growltiger."

Growltiger took the queen's paw and kissed it. Then he told her "The pleasure is all mine. Welcome aboard the _Demagogue_, Lady Griddlebone."

The two of them walked over to the door that led to the lower decks. Before entering, Growltiger told his crew over his shoulder "Prepare to depart for Vauxhall! We'll be leaving immediately."

The crew broke formation and returned to their stations. A few rumors started going around the ship as to who this "Griddlebone" was and how Growltiger was affiliated with her.

Tumble listened to several of these rumors, but he did not create any. He decided to just ask Growltiger about the matter later on.

In less than five minutes, the barge was underway again.

Grumbuskin gathered Tumblebrutus and some other members of the crew. He then debriefed them on their business at Vauxhall.

"We're going to be conducting that bartering arrangement with some of Mac's operatives," he informed them, "George, I want you to find two crewmembers to bring out that equipment we're giving them. We'll need two more to collect the supplies we'll be receiving in exchange."

"Yes, sir," said George.

"Bill Bailey, I want you to come to the negotiation with me," Grumbuskin ordered the security chief, "We'll be doing it right outside the ship, so we'll need only minor security measures."

"You can count on me, sir," said Bill Bailey.

"Tumblebrutus, I want you to monitor the negotiation from the main deck of the vessel," Grumbuskin said to the newest member of the crew, "If you see or hear anything suspicious, I want you to report it to me immediately afterwards."

"I understand, sir," agreed Tumble.

"Alright, now I want everyone to be ready," Grumbuskin looked around at his subordinates, "We can never be too careful around these cats."

Everyone went to work. George assembled a squad of four to manage the cargo. Bill Bailey found a volunteer to join him and Grumbuskin in their compromise. Tumblebrutus simply remained at his post and watched for anything out of the ordinary.

While he patrolled the ship, Tumble wonder who these "Mac's agents" were. Based on all of Grumbuskin's precautionary measures, he was able to conclude that they were very capable of being deceitful or dubious.

About ten minutes later, Victor announced over the com that they had arrived in Vauxhall. As they approached the docks, Tumblebrutus could see five cats on the marina. They were standing in front of a large pile of crates.

Again, the walkway was used to connect the barge to the docks. Grumbuskin, Bill Bailey, and the accompanying security guard – a brown and black striped tom named Farios – went down the walkway to meet with the five cats. Farios and Bill Bailey were armed with javelins. Grumbuskin wore a belt with an assortment of small blades.

On the bottom deck, George opened a large door in the cargo hold and used it to connect that room to another section of the docks. They started moving a few crates out into the open.

All the while, Tumblebrutus observed the events from his post on board the _Demagogue_'s main deck.

From his station, Tumble could clearly see all five of "Mac's agents." They were standing in a V-shape formation. The two cats in the back were both toms. One of them was grey and ginger; the other was brown and tan.

One of the middle cats was a grey and black tom; the other was a red and orange queen.

The cat at the front was a large brown tom with shades of white on his fur. Tumblebrutus noticed that this tom was missing his left eye.

Grumbuskin, Bill Bailey, and Farios slowly approached the group.

When they were about three feet away, the tom with one eye said bluntly "Well, it's nice to see that you made it here, Grumbuskin."

"Save me the chitchat, Cyclops," remarked Grumbuskin, "We're here to conduct business and nothing else."

"Very well, then," said Cyclops, "Shall we start the trade or do you and your men wish to?"

"We always hold up our end of the bargain," said Grumbuskin, "But I cannot say the same about you. You go first."

"Very well," Cyclops nodded and said over his shoulder "Zebrim, Kotene, take the sample crate over to George."

The two toms at the back of the group went to one of their crates and dragged it over to George, who was positioned right outside the cargo hold.

Tumblebrutus watched as George took the lid off the crate and examined its contents. He then announced "Grumbuskin, everything we requested is accounted for!"

"Excellent," said Grumbuskin, "Now, we shall hold our end of the bargain."

Two of the cats assisting George pushed a crate out of the cargo hold. They moved it over to Zebrim and Kotene. The latter of them removed the lid from the crate and the former inspected its contents. After a moment, Zebrim declared "Cyclops, they've kept their word. Everything is here!"

"Very good," stated Cyclops, "Commence the bartering." He then said to the black and grey tom behind him "Flash, give them a hand – I mean, a paw."

Flash nodded his head and ran very quickly over to the other crates he and his company had brought with them to the docks. He moved those crates one at a time over to Zebrim and Kotene. After George examined the contents of each crate, two of his team pushed the crate into the cargo hold. At the same time, the other two cats pushed out the crates they were giving in return. These in turn were inspected by Zebrim, and moved to the end of the docks by Kotene.

Tumblebrutus watched the whole process from his station. Once the bartering process was complete, George and his four assistants brought in the walkway from the cargo hold and sealed off the door.

Grumbuskin waited for Cyclops and the others to leave, but they did not.

"Is there anything else we need to discuss?" Grumbuskin inquired.

"As a matter of fact, there is," said the red and orange queen.

"Sharpie, let me handle this," Cyclops said over his shoulder. He looked back at Grumbuskin and said "Our boss wants to extend his usual invitation."

Grumbuskin gave an annoyed sigh and said exasperatedly "How many times do I have to tell you? The answer is 'no.'"

"Why?" demanded Cyclops, obviously irritated, "Our boss wants a better answer than 'We're not interested.'"

"Okay, how about 'we're not **frigging** interested?'" snapped Grumbuskin, "I'll tell it to you a hundred different ways. I speak for all of us when I say this: we do not wish to work for your boss."

"Why?" repeated Cyclops.

"We know better than to get caught up in such affairs," answered Grumbuskin, "We have no problem being business partners with all of you, but working for your boss is another story entirely."

"At least consult it with **your **boss," requested Cyclops, "I know he probably told you to turn down my offer every time I made it, but if you take the time to consider it, you may realize that such an alliance would generate some significant advantages for both our groups."

"Fine," said Grumbuskin, "I'll talk with him. But I will not make any promises."

"That's alright with me," agreed Cyclops.

"Now, if there is anything else you require…" said Grumbuskin.

"No, we'll be on our way," Cyclops and the others all turned around and went to move their crates onto a large trolley. Once everything was secure, they pushed the trolley up the docks and disappeared from sight.

Grumbuskin, Bill Bailey, and Farios headed back up the walkway to the main deck of the _Demagogue_.

Tumblebrutus went over to Grumbuskin and asked him "What was that last matter all about?"

"Oh, Cyclops' boss keeps asking us to join his organization," Grumbuskin explained, "This is the ninth time he's presented this offer and the ninth time we've refused. In fact, after the fourth time, Growltiger gave me authorization to automatically refuse the offer without telling him about it beforehand."

"You seem determined not to ally yourselves with them," Tumblebrutus noted.

"Well, who would want to become involved with someone like The Hidden Paw?" commented Grumbuskin.

When Tumble heard that last statement, his eyes shot up in alarm. He nervously said "Wait… whom did you say those cats work for?"

"The Hidden Paw, aka Macavity," said Grumbuskin.

Suddenly, everything about the negotiation – from the precautionary measures to the suspicious atmosphere – made more sense to Tumblebrutus. Cyclops' boss had only been referred to as "Mac," which was doubtlessly short for Macavity. He had just witnessed a business deal going on between Growltiger's crew and Macavity's henchcats!

Noticing the expression on the young tom's face, Grumbuskin asked "Tumblebrutus, are you alright?"

"Grumbuskin, there's something I should probably tell you," said Tumble, as he started to breath in deeply, "But I think Growltiger should know it as well."

"Why is that?" asked Grumbuskin.

"Just take my word," said Tumblebrutus, "He'll be glad that I told him."

"Alright, let's see if he's available at the moment," Grumbuskin suggested.

After finding someone to temporarily look after Tumblebrutus' post, Grumbuskin and Tumble traveled down to the lower decks to find Growltiger.

Note: Cyclops, Flash, Sharpie, Zebrim, and Kotene all originally appeared in my fanfic "Choices," but this fanfic takes place before that one. By the way, Cyclops, Flash, and Sharpie are just aliases; the real names for those three are Evojon, Wilosc, and Rinoxma respectively, but they'll be referred to by their aliases for the whole of the story.


	6. Clandestine Relations

Growltiger was down in the Officer's Lounge with Griddlebone. The white Persian queen was sitting on the sofa next to the fireplace, getting comfortable. The Bravo Cat was standing at the bar, fixing a couple of drinks.

Griddlebone took a few moments to study the room's many features. She said "This is quite an impressive lounge, Growltiger."

"Thank you," he said as he worked at the bar, "We just finished refurnishing it last month. I think the paint goes well with the carpet, don't you?"

"Yes, you chose a magnificent combination," she agreed.

Growltiger took the two drinks and walked over to the sofa. He handed Griddlbeone one of the glasses and sat down next to her.

"A toast," he proposed, "To old friendship."

She held her glass up to his and repeated "To old friendship."

They clinked their glasses together and drained them in one swig.

As they lowered their glasses, they looked into each other's eyes for a moment. There was a connection formed between the two of them. It was a type of connection they had not experienced ever since they last looked into each other's eyes.

"I feel we have a lot of catching up to do," he finally broke the silence.

"Indeed," she nodded and set her empty glass down on the table, "I've missed you, Growltiger. Life in the city has not been the same since you left."

"Your stay here on the ship will be worth the wait," he assured her, "I will see to it that my crew makes you feel right at home."

"Thank you," she told him.

Right then, there was a knock at the door. Growltiger turned to it and stated "Come in."

Grumbuskin opened the door and entered the officer's lounge. Tumblebrutus followed him close behind.

"Captain, do you have a moment?" he asked Growltiger.

"That will depend on the reason you are here," answered Growltiger.

Tumblebrutus stepped forward and said "Believe me, sir; it is very important that we tell you this news."

Growltiger shrugged and said "If you are so sure, then I will take the time to listen."

He addressed Griddlebone next and told her "I would like you to meet Grumbuskin, my First Officer."

"Evening, ma'am," Grumbuskin nodded to the Persian queen.

Griddlebone held out her right front paw to Grumbuskin. He took it in one of his paws and kissed it. After that, Griddlebone said "I am glad to meet you, sir. You must be a professional at your work to be given the title of first mate."

"Thank you, milady," Grumbuskin responded, "I do what I can to help the Captain here keep the ship in order."

Growltiger then turned to Tumblebrutus and told Griddlebone "And this is Tumblebrutus, our newest and youngest member."

Tumblebrutus was standing right in front of Griddlebone, but he did not say a word, even when she held her front paw out to him. Tumble looked at it in confusion for a few seconds; then he looked at Growltiger. Growltiger noticed his confusion and made a quick gesture by bringing the back of his front paw up to his lips.

Tumblebrutus quickly got the gesture. He gently took Griddlebone's paw in one of his front paws and kissed it just as Grumbuskin had. After that, he looked up at her and said "Pleasure to make your acquaintance… milady."

"The pleasure is all mine," she told him in response.

Tumble grinned at her; then he turned to Growltiger and told him "May we talk about the reason for coming here?"

"Yes, of course," Growltiger nodded, "What is troubling you?"

"Well, sir," Tumblebrutus tentatively began, "We were just finishing the trading operations at Vauxhall."

"That is true," Growltiger acknowledged.

"Right after the negotiations took place, I discovered that the people we were conducting business with are agents of… Macavity the Mystery Cat," Tumblebrutus continued, still a little nervous.

"Indeed they were," Growltiger commented, "I notice that knowing that seems to make you uncomfortable."

"Right after I enlightened him who Cyclops and the others work for, he insisted to speak with you immediately," Grumbuskin told the Captain.

"Why is that?" Growltiger asked Tumble.

Tumblebrutus was not sure how to begin to answer that question, but he was able to bring himself to answer it anyway. He first asked "Sir, how much of Macavity's history do you know? I don't mean his history as a crime lord; I mean his personal history."

"Not much," Growltiger answered straightforwardly, "We do not spend much time doing research on the background of the people we do business with. We can usually just judge them at first sight."

"Perhaps I should let you know about Macavity's background," Tumblebrutus suggested.

"You know him?" inquired Grumbuskin.

"Somewhat," Tumblebrutus explained, "I come from a tribe of cats known as the Jellicles. Macavity was once a member of this tribe as well, but one day, a series of events resulted in the death of his mate, which was a tremendous tragedy on his part. Afterwards, he slowly lost his sanity and abandoned the tribe. A short while after that, he turned to crime and began his reign of terror on London. Ever since then, he has been terrorizing the Jellicle Tribe every once in a while."

Growltiger, Grumbuskin, and Griddlebone all seemed very interested in what Tumblebrutus was telling them. Growltiger told him "That is a fascinating story, Tumblebrutus, but why did you feel the need to tell me it? If you are suggesting that we discontinue our trading operations with Macavity, we cannot do that. Some of the goods he gives us are essential for life on the river. Besides, some of the other cats we do business with are almost as bad as he is."

"Sir, that is not what I am implying." Tumblebrutus assured him, "All I wish to do is submit a personal request."

"Tell me what it is," said Growltiger, "If it is reasonable, I will grant it."

Tumblebrutus presented his request: "Whenever we do business with Macavity or his agents, I would like to be excused from the negotiations."

"Whatever for?" said Growltiger.

"I'm concerned that they may recognize me if they see me," Tumblebrutus elucidated, "Macavity may have his henchcats memorize the appearance of every member of the Jellicle Tribe. I am not certain if he does this, but knowing how intelligent he is, that is not an outrageous theory. If Macavity and his goons were to discover that a member of the Jellicle Tribe was working on board the _Demagogue_, they may falsely conclude that the Jellicles have established a covert relationship with you. After that, they may launch an attack against my home."

Growltiger saw the logic in Tumblebrutus' reasoning – in more than one way, in fact. He told the young tom, "If Macavity were to conclude that we're working with some of his most hated enemies, the results would be disastrous on our side of the equation as well. Macavity would probably cancel all future trading operations with us and sever all friendly ties to us, as well. Therefore, I grant your request."

"Thank you, sir," Tumblebrutus stated, slightly bowing to Growltiger. When he came back up, he said "That is all I wished to discuss with you. May I return to my post?"

"Of course," nodded Growltiger.

Tumblebrutus turned around and left the officer's lounge.

Grumbuskin stayed to talk with his captain and the new passenger.

"Apparently Tumblebrutus' agility and stealth are not his only talents," remarked Grumbuskin, "He must also be very intelligent to have made such an astute speculation about Macavity."

"He's certainly very well-behaved and loyal for a tom of his age," noted Griddlebone.

"Yes, he is," Growltiger agreed, "I feel that in time, he will fit right in with this crew."

No one spoke for a few moments. Growltiger asked Grumbuskin "Is there anything about tonight's business that you wish to discuss, Grumbs?"

"Well, boss, I should probably let you know," stated Grumbuskin, "Once again, Cyclops presented the 'offer' for us to join Macavity's organization."

Growltiger scoffed in annoyance and said "They just don't give up. How many more times are we going to have to tell them that we do not want **that **much to do with them?"

"Apparently, they won't be getting that message any time soon," Grumbuskin told him.

"Next time they present that offer, notify me before responding," Growltiger ordered him; "I'll give them our answer myself. And I'll make sure they understand it perfectly."

"Yes, sir."

Across town, Zebrim, Flash, Kotene, Sharpie, and Cyclops arrived at a large warehouse, carrying their cargo in tow. They had arrived at their hideout.

They went to a garage at the back side of the building. Cyclops rapped on the door a few times with his front paw. A hidden slot near the base of the door slid open and a tan striped queen peered out of it. When she saw who it was, she grinned and said "You finally made it."

The queen closed the slot, turned around, and called out "Hey, Tyraf!"

Across the room, a white and gray tom was sitting at a control console. He had been asleep at the time, but when the other cat called out his name, he jerked awake. Looking over at the other side of the room, he asked "What? What do you need, Vielal?"

"Cyclops and the others are back," the tan queen enlightened him, "Open the garage door."

"Right," the tired tom nodded. He directed his attention to the console and placed his paw on a key that had been inserted there beforehand. He turned it ninety degrees counterclockwise. Slowly, the garage door started ascending.

When the garage door was high enough for Cyclops and the others to get through with the loaded trolley, Tyraf released the key. The five henchcats from the docks entered the room with their cargo in tow. Once they were through, Vielal gestured Tyraf to close the garage door. He turned the key ninety degrees clockwise this time, and the door started to descend back to the ground. When it was closed once again, Tyraf released the key. Then he laid his head back down on the console and closed his eyes.

"He looks tired," noted Flash.

"Well, I **did** advise him against pulling a double shift four nights in a row," said Vielal, "But that's not what's important. What's important is: did you get the shipment?"

"Yep," answered Sharpie, "Everything's here. We'll get to work storing it."

"No, I already have a team assembled to handle that," Vielal informed her, "For now, you guys go ahead and get settled in."

"You don't have to tell me twice," remarked Zebrim, stretching out his legs and yawning, "The visit to the docks was a nice change of routine, but lagging the cargo back here was not exactly my idea of an exciting evening. Rewarding perhaps, but not exciting."

"Tell me about it," Kotene concurred, "I have **got** to remember to stretch before working with the trolley."

The two of them left the garage through a door on the wall opposite the garage door. They were soon followed by Flash and Sharpie. Cyclops was about to go through the door was well, but just before that, Vielal told him "Cy, I just remembered. The boss told me to tell you that he wanted to speak with you as soon as you got back."

"Alright, thanks," Cyclops nodded, "I'll go speak with him now."

"He's in his office," Vielal called after him as he left the room.

As Vielal and her team went to work handling the crates on the trolley, Cyclops went to a stairwell on the first floor. From there, he made his way up to the second floor of the building. He walked through a series of corridors until he arrived at a door guarded by two henchcats in the center of the building.

The two guards stepped aside to let Cyclops walk up to the door. He knocked on it with his paw three times. A voice on the other side called out "Enter."

Cyclops opened the door and stepped inside. There was a makeshift desk where a red and gold cat with a contorted expression and a messed-up mane was seated. On the left side of the room, a black and orange striped calico cat was standing on his hind legs with his arms folded. There were a few more henchcats standing guard along the walls.

"Ah, Cyclops, you've returned," remarked the cat at the desk.

"Yes, sir," said the one-eyed cat, "Vielal informed me that you wanted to speak with me."

"That is correct," Macavity nodded, "How did the negotiations go?"

"They went rather smoothly," answered Cyclops, "Growltiger's crew gave us everything we requested."

"Excellent," said Macavity.

"But I know why you wanted to speak with me, Mac" Cyclops told him, "They turned down our offer once again."

"Th'ey did?" said the calico cat, who spoke in a cockney accent.

"You bet they did, Mungojerrie," said Cyclops, "Grumbuskin was particularly rude this time around. He refused before I even had a chance to directly mention it."

"Damnit," swore Macavity, "Why are they so intransigent?"

"They have their reasons," Cyclops replied, "Apparently, they want to limit their involvement with us to trading."

Macavity sat thinking for a moment. Then he told the henchcats standing guard "Leave us."

The henchcats left the room without speaking a word, leaving Macavity, Mungojerrie, and Cyclops alone.

Macavity stood up and walked to the front of his desk. He told his top two men "We need a different method of convincing Growltiger and his crew."

"With all due respect, Mac, we've tried every method short of violence and threats," Cyclops commented.

"Well, there has to be something we can do to persuade them," said Macavity.

"We could thr'eaten to canc'el our tra'ding oper'ations with 'em," suggested Mungojerrie.

"That wouldn't work," said Macavity, "We may give Growltiger some of his most essential supplies, but some of the supplies we receive from him is just as important to us."

"Well, I'm fresh out of ideas," said Cyclops.

"W'hy is it so impo'tant th'at they join us anyw'ay?" inquired Mungojerrie.

"Mungo, Growltiger practically dominates the Thames River," Macavity informed his second-in-command, "Whoever controls the _Demagogue _controls his influence. If we get him to become associates with us, we can spread our reign across London through the river. Just imagine the benefits of such a thing!"

"But, Mac, th'ere are othe' sail'ors who cont'rol parts of the rive'," Mungojerrie pointed out.

"Yes, but Growltiger holds the largest domain," Macavity stated.

"Mac, Growltiger h'as refused us e'ight times befo'e ton'ight," said Mungojerrie, "If you w'ant to gain cont'rol of the rive'h, I sugg'est th'at we find anothe' sailo'."

"He does have a point," Cyclops concurred with Mungojerrie.

"Who would you have in mind?" asked Macavity.

"Genghis," answered Mungojerrie, "He h'as the sec'ond la'rgest dom'ain on the Th'ames."

"He's also Growltiger's chief rival," remarked Cyclops, "If Growltiger were to discover that we were seeking business with Genghis, he would declare us his enemies."

"Who s'ays he'd f'ind out?" said Mungojerrie, "'e won't find out if we cove' our tr'acks well en'ough."

"Genghis might be more cooperative," Macavity admitted, "He would probably be able to give us anything we'd lose from the trading operations with Growltiger."

"So, do you want me to plan a meeting with him?" asked Cyclops.

"Yes, I want you to schedule a meeting with Genghis the next time he comes to port near here," Macavity told Cyclops, "I wish to speak with him myself here."

"He sh'ould be 'ere ex'actly one w'eek from tomo'rrow," said Mungojerrie.

"It will be done, Mac," Cyclops nodded and left the room.

Macavity looked over at Mungojerrie and told him "I hope you know what you're doing, Mungo."

The younger tom just smirked and remarked "Tr'ust me, Mac; Genghis will be mo're compl'iant than Growltige'r."

"Cyclops did raise a good point, though," said Macavity, "Growltiger would turn against us if he even heard a rumor that we were conspiring with the Siamese Captain."

"I bel'ieve it's a r'isk wor'th takin'" was all Mungo said.

Hours later, the _Demagogue _returned to port at Westminster. Many members of the crew departed to head to their homes. One of them was Tumblebrutus.

"You seem eager to head off," Grumbuskin noted when Tumblebrutus was about to leave.

"I promised my mother that I would be home before two in the morning," Tumblebrutus told Grumbuskin, "The Jellicles are very protective of each other. They would probably be worried as hell if I was gone even for one full day without notifying them."

"Well, at least you have someone to worry about you," sighed Grumbuskin.

Tumblebrutus noted a modicum of gloom in Grumbuskin's voice. He asked the First Officer "What do you mean by that, Grumbuskin?"

"Several of us have no families of our own," Grumbuskin clarified, "I myself lost everyone except my father when I was only a kitten. He looked after me and kept me safe as I grew up."

"What happened to him?" asked Tumble.

"I don't know," answered Grumbuskin, "He disappeared shortly after I came of age."

"Do you have any family left at all?" said Tumble.

Grumbuskin looked over his shoulder to make sure that no one was listening in on their conversation. Once he was certain that no one was eavesdropping, he told Tumble "I actually do have a mate. Her name is Linnota. However, to protect her, I only refer to her as my queenfriend. Can I trust you not to tell anyone else what I am about to tell you?"

"Yes, sir," Tumblebrutus assured him, "You can trust me."

"At one point, Linnota and I were expecting a kitten," Grumbuskin enlightened Tumble, "The Siamese had taken me prisoner while I was on a reconnaissance mission just two weeks before the kitten would be born. Six weeks later, I was liberated from captivity, but when I returned home, I discovered that... Linnota had lost the kitten."

Tumblebrutus was shocked. "That's terrible."

Grumbuskin nodded, saying "Yes, it is. I never even got to see my child."

"You have my sympathy, sir," Tumble assured the black and grey tabby,"

"Thank you," Grumbuskin stated, "I may have lived without my own family for most of my life, but fortunately, shortly after my father's disappearance, Growltiger found me and took me in. Not long after that, we formed the most feared feline crew in London."

"That certainly is rapid progress," remarked Tumble.

"Indeed it is," Growltiger nodded, "I hope to see you again tomorrow night."

"I'll be here," Tumblebrutus promised.

He left the ship and started to make his way back to the Jellicle Junkyard.

It had been quite a night for him. He had been posted as a guard, and he felt that it was thanks to him that the _Demagogue _was kept safe from any potential threat. He was already beginning to gain respect from Grumbuskin, Griddlebone, and even Growltiger.

Tumblebrutus noticed that Growltiger was not as vicious as people made him out to be; he was only vicious when he had to be. But that was enough to strike fear into the hearts of anyone he encountered.

Tumblebrutus, meanwhile, was busy thinking about a certain queen-kit. On the way home, he thought about Jemima, and about how beautiful she was. He really did want to become mates with her someday. But he would have to go one step at a time at forming that type of relationship with her.

Just as he was entering the Jellicle Junkyard, Tumblebrutus thought "I wonder if Jemima likes sailors."


	7. Loosely Connected

The next morning, Tumblebrutus woke up early and went outside into the clearing. He saw Coricopat sitting with his twin sister Tantomile on top of the TSE-1. They did not appear to notice Tumble. He casually strolled over to them and said "Good morning, Coricopat, Tantomile."

They turned to him and smiled simultaneously. They told him "Good morning, Tumblebrutus."

He hopped onto the half-buried car's trunk and asked "What are you doing?"

"We're just meditating," answered Tantomile.

"I see," said Tumble.

"May we ask what you are doing up this early?" queried Coricopat.

"Sometimes I just happen to wake up this time of day," was Tumble's response. "What about you?"

"This is one of the best times of the day for us to meditate," said Tantomile, "It is early in the morning, before the rest of the tribe is up and about, and we are given plenty of peace and quiet to reflect on the events of the past and the upcoming future."

"That makes enough sense to me," said Tumblebrutus, "Cori, would you mind if I speak to you?"

"Alone?" said the male twin.

"No, Tanto can stay here… if she wants to," Tumble replied.

The female twin merely nodded. Tumblebrutus turned to Coricopat and told him "I just wanted to thank you for the helpful advice you gave me yesterday morning."

"It is my pleasure to assist you," Coricopat assured him, "Did you accept the job?"

"Yes, I did," answered Tumble, "The first night was rather uneventful, I might add. We just picked up someone and hauled some cargo around. But I still enjoyed myself."

Tantomile did not say a word. She was not one to make other people's business her own without due cause.

"You still haven't told anyone about my job yet, right?" asked Tumble.

"No, not even Tantomile," said Coricopat, "We take confidentiality in conversations with our patients very seriously."

"I wouldn't exactly label them as 'patients,'" said Tumble, "but that label's fine by me. At any rate, I plan to go back there tonight. Perhaps something more exciting will happen there tonight."

"Perhaps," Coricopat shrugged, "I wish you luck on your second night on the job."

"I don't need luck, but thanks anyway," Tumblebrutus turned around and jumped off the TSE-1. He did a somersault in mid-air and landed on his feet. Then he walked away from the car.

Just then, Jemima came into the clearing. Tumblebrutus spotted her and quickly moved out of the clearing. He still felt some foolishness from how he had reacted the other night, and he was not ready to face Jemima just yet. He whispered to himself "Then again, perhaps I do need some luck."

Jemima saw Tumblebrutus climb over a pile of junk. She opened her mouth to call him, but then she closed it and shrugged. She could somehow tell that Tumble wanted to be left alone. However, she was still determined to find out what he had intended to talk about the other night. She decided to do a little investigating.

That night at nine o'clock, Tumblebrutus returned to the docks. He met up with Grumbuskin to receive his orders.

"Tonight, I want you to guard the starboard half of the bridge," the First Officer instructed the patched kitten, "We'll be travelling in the opposite direction tonight. We have to be more cautious when travelling that way."

"I understand, sir," Tumblebrutus nodded, "I will inform you and Bill Bailey if I see anything suspicious."

Grumbuskin smiled down at him and said "Excellent. I will be downstairs should you need me."

After Grumbuskin left and the ship got underway, Tumblebrutus turned to the railing of the ship and leaned against it. He looked around at the buildings alongside the water, and once again, he was deeply impressed by their beauty. He took some time to savor the sights while he was there.

A few minutes later, a voice said behind him "Enjoying the view?"

Tumble looked over his shoulder and saw Growltiger standing behind him. He responded "Yes, I am. I could definitely get used to a sight like this."

"I recall that you told me that the river brings you harmony and bliss the other night," Growltiger remarked, "However, you never exactly told me why."

"Well, it's difficult to describe why exactly, sir," said Tumblebrutus as he leaned on the rail and looked out into the horizon, "But I suppose I could try. I enjoy being around the river because of its vastness, its magnificence, and its unfathomable roots. It's like something out of poetry."

Growltiger leaned next to the wall behind him and spoke aloud: "'What is a river? It is not merely a continuous body of water that runs in two directions. It is a channel, a road, a path, a way of life. The river is an enigmatic symbol that gives us the power to expand, to unite, and to achieve glory.'"

"Sir?" said Tumble, looking over his shoulder.

Growltiger continued: "'Life is like the flowing waters of a ocean: It surrounds us, it drives us. It has always been around, but it is still virtually a complete mystery to us. There are the parts we understand now, parts we can comprehend, and parts that are yet to be revealed. Not to mention parts that we may never come to decipher. It is possible to lose yourself in it, but it is equally possible for you to discover who you are and what you are destined to do.'"

After a moment of silence, Tumblebrutus realized that Growltiger was quoting something. He quickly recognized those lines. He commented "The opening lines to _The Catastrophic Seas_."

"You are familiar with that musical?" assumed Growltiger.

"Well, somewhat," answered Tumble, "I've seen it a few times. How did you come across it?"

"I saw it when the lead role of Captain Morgan was played by a legendary actor cat named Gus," replied Growltiger.

Tumblebrutus turned to the Bravo Cat and inquired "You've seen Gus the Theatre Cat perform?"

Growltiger seemed surprised to discover that Tumble knew who he was talking about. He nodded and told him "Yes, I have. How do you know him?"

"He's my grandfather," Tumblebrutus immediately replied.

Growltiger was a little startled – both by Tumble's abruptness and his answer. He just said "Really?"

"Yes," Tumblebrutus stated proudly, "He's the father of my father, Asparagus."

Growltiger smiled down at the patched tom and told him "You sound proud to be related to him. And you should be."

"Oh, I am," Tumblebrutus assured his Captain, "My mother talks about his accomplishments more often than he does. She's proud just to be his daughter-in-law."

"As she should," Growltiger remarked, leaning against the balustrade next to Tumble, "Ever since I was a kitten – perhaps when I was even younger than you are – I have been an avid fan and admirer of your grandfather. Whenever there was a new play that starred him, I would always attend the very first showing."

"Were there any plays that stood out from the rest?" asked Tumblebrutus.

"Gee, I'd need to think about that," Growltiger stood thinking for a bit. Then he told Tumble "The first show I ever saw was _Hackney_. You know; that one about the troubled pair of mates that resided in the district of London by the same name. I recall that I was not especially delighted to go see it at first and that I reluctantly agreed to go with my parents. But I never went to another show reluctantly again after that. Even at that age, I was impressed by Gus' strong performance alongside his future real-life mate Malpora."

"Wow, if you saw that show when my grandparents were still single, you must be at least one human year older than my parents," Tumblebrutus figured.

"I believe you are correct," Growltiger agreed, "In fact, I remember that I got to meet the two of them one time when they were taking autographs. I made a direct comment that the two of them would make a lovely couple. I can still remember them when I told them that; their fur and figures were rather similar, as were their personalities. Who knows; perhaps that one comment was what brought them together in the first place!"

"That would be amazing," Tumblebrutus concurred, "If that were the case, then I suppose I have you to thank for my own birth!"

"Indeed," nodded Growltiger, "Now, another show of your grandfather's that I saw was the mystery thriller _Broken Shaft_. That was the one about a rich tom's murder that implicated over a dozen suspects, each of which had a different motive, but the murderer turned out to be the detective's assistant! That one ran a long time, and I must have seen it half a dozen times at the very least.

"Another one I happened to like was _Sapphires on the Windowsill_," Growltiger continued, "Griddlebone convinced me to see it shortly after we became mates. It was more of what humans call a 'chick flick' – what with there being many more female roles than before, and what will some of the plot threads pertaining to fashion and style – but there was enough suspense and enough of Gus' strong and authoritative acting to satisfy the toms in the audience, too."

"I believe that was around the time my father was born as well," Tumblebrutus noted, "Because I do remember that around that time, my grandmother had taken a brief hiatus from acting to be on maternity leave."

"Yes, that's correct," said Growltiger, "Malpora did take a break from her acting career for a short time around then. But Gus and the rest of his troupe stayed in the game. That was also around the time when another of my favorites – _Experiment _– came into production. That was Gus' shortest and only one-tom play, but it provided an interesting and realistic perspective of a cat trapped in a human science lab awaiting some form of unusual treatment. That was arguably his most powerful performance."

"Perhaps it was," agreed Tumblebrutus.

"That was also around the time when I meet Grumbuskin," Growltiger went on, "I already lived in a different part of down from my parents, and I took him in as my roommate at my flat. He and I got along very well."

"That's good," Tumblebrutus commented.

"Then, of course, there was _A Demon Within_," Growltiger got back to the first subject, "I got stuck in the back for that show's premiere, but it was worth every moment."

"Ah, yes," said Tumble, "I am familiar with that one. That's the play about the cat that becomes possessed by his primal side at erratic intervals. Then he becomes a vigilante and kills off his enemies using particularly brutal methods. When his family is killed by some of his surviving enemies, he goes insane and kills everything in his path. That's when his primal self becomes his normal self, and he feels inexplicable grief. So he throws himself off a building and falls to his death."

"People only _believe_ that he falls to his death," Growltiger pointed out, "You mustn't forget that at the end, the sole surviving member of the protagonist's family – his son – has a vision and tells everyone with him that his father only died in the corporeal sense. His existence continues to live on spiritually."

"That is correct," said Tumblebrutus, "When I first saw that play, it scared the hell out of me. Then again, I was probably too young to see it. It also began around the time my grandmother died. Some would argue that my grandfather seemed somewhat distraught in his performances around then."

"Yes, everyone missed her," said Growltiger, "There was a service held for her that I attended. Fortunately, your grandfather managed to stay in character after that time."

"Yeah, I know my grandfather; he always stays focused on his work," said Tumble, "In fact, he continually emphasizes that the main character of that play – Firefrorefiddle, the Fiend of the Fell – is his grandest creation."

"That could be," Growltiger speculated, "But my absolute favorite play was always _The Catastrophic Seas_. I saw that one after _Sapphires on the Windowsill_, but before _Experiment_. Captain Morgan's character and his various tales of his voyages were what principally inspired me to become a sailor in the first place."

"That was a good show," nodded Tumblebrutus, "It combined humor, adventure, drama, and friendship all into one."

"That is precisely why I enjoyed it so." stated Growltiger.

"From what I recall, _The Catastrophic Seas_ was a sung-thru musical," said Tumblebrutus, "Were there any songs from it that you particularly liked?"

Growltiger answered "Yes, in fact, there's this one duet that both Griddlebone and I enjoy: _The Ballad of Billy McCaw_. She and I would sing that duet all the time."

"_The Ballad of Billy McCaw_," Tumblebrutus muttered, rubbing his chin "Isn't that the one about the parrot at the Old Bull and Bush?"

"Indeed it is," said Growltiger, "I practically memorized the entire musical myself. Shortly after that, I entered the pirating business."

"So, how did that happen?" Tumblebrutus asked curiously.

Growltiger turned to Tumblebrutus and placed a paw on his shoulder. All he said was "That, my young friend, is a tale you may hear another time. No one other than Grumbuskin and Griddlebone know about my rise to power on the Thames."

Tumble shrugged and remarked "That's alright with me."


	8. Negotiations

Note: BlueSky509 brought this to my attention. All the plays mentioned in the last chapter; they're not real. I made them all up on my own. By the way, sorry again for the wait. I've been really busy. On the 24th, I start college, and tomorrow I'm moving into my dorm. I'm actually excited about it, though!

Just then, Victor came running over to the two of them. He called out to Growltiger "Captain! Captain!"

Growltiger turned around and watched as the cream and brown tabby approached him and Tumblebrutus. Once he was standing right before him, he asked "What is it, Victor?"

"We've just arrived at our destination," Victor reported, "Are you ready for the meeting?"

"Yes, just give me a moment," Growltiger answered, "I want the landing party to be composed of you, me, Grumbuskin, George, Bill Bailey, Dominev, and Placondgo. Tell George to bring a crate full of olive oil, flour, dried fruit, spearheads, gunpowder, med kits, and other basic supplies. Have Carbucketty meet us at the entrance as well."

"Yes, sir," Victor agreed.

The navigator turned and went to assemble the landing party.

Growltiger turned to Tumblebrutus and said "I don't suppose you would be interested in doing something other than guarding the bridge?"

"Like what?" said Tumble.

"Would you be interested in joining me and the others in the landing party?" Growltiger simplified.

Tumblebrutus only thought for a moment. Then he shrugged and answered "Sure. A little variety wouldn't hurt."

"Come with me."

Tumblebrutus followed the Bravo Cat to the entrance of the boat. The crew had already set up the walkway between the dock and the bridge. Grumbuskin, Carbucketty, Victor, Bill Bailey, George, and two toms Tumblebrutus had not met yet were assembled there. One of them was ginger and white; the other was grey with black stripes. George was standing in front of a wooden crate.

The unknown toms had belts with assorted weapons, such as knives. Bill Bailey had a belt of assorted weapons, too, but he was also holding a copper-headed spear. Victor, George, and Grumbuskin were unarmed.

Grumbuskin introduced the two toms to Tumblebrutus. The ginger and white one was Placondgo; the grey ones with black stripes was Dominev. Both of them looked rigid, but they appeared a little friendlier to Tumblebrutus than the others had originally appeared to be.

"I am glad to see you gentlemen are taking some precautions," Growltiger remarked to toms, "But I am not anticipating too much trouble here tonight."

"Right, boss," said George.

"Form up!" Growltiger ordered everyone except Carbucketty. The six toms got into a straight line. Tumblebrutus quickly joined them.

Growltiger looked around at them and started to pace the area in front of them. He announced "Gentlemen, I expect this to be a good, clean mission. It's a simple meeting with an old friend of mine who will be providing us with information."

"What sort of information?" asked Victor.

"The location of a shipment of supplies and weapons, along with some… precious cargo," answered Growltiger.

"'Precious cargo?'" said Grumbuskin.

"I will explain all of that afterwards," Growltiger guaranteed his First Officer, "For now, here is the plan: we will travel across the docks until we reach the mainland. Then we will go to the alleyway located between the two main buildings of the marina. Dominev, Placondgo, and Bill Bailey will stand guard at the entrance to the alley. Everyone else will stay with me during the meeting, unless instructed otherwise. Understood?"

"Yes, sir!" replied all the toms.

"Excellent," Growltiger grinned, "Move out!"

Bill Bailey, Placondgo, and Dominev filed off the bridge and onto the docks. Victor, Grumbuskin, and Tumblebrutus helped George carry the wooden crate down the walkway. Before joining them, Growltiger told Carbucketty "You're in charge while we're gone. Keep the engines warm."

"I will, Captain," replied the Chief Engineer.

Growltiger followed the landing party down the walkway. The eight toms proceeded down the docks in an orderly fashion.

"So, Boss, what exactly is the crate of goods for?" inquired Victor as they walked.

"It's payment for the information, Victor," Growltiger answered him, "The person we're going to meet with is very strict about this part of the deal."

"I see," said George, "I must say, I cannot recall any negotiation where we gave the other party an entire crate of supplies for information."

"This information is of the utmost importance to me, George," Growltiger enlightened him, "My contact knows that, so he expects to be paid generously."

The toms did not talk as they moved on. Finally, they arrived at the end of the marina. They came to two buildings which were two stories tall each. One was a fish packaging factory, the other was a boating supplies shop. Both of them were closed for the night and devoid of its human worker population.

The eight toms soon came to an alleyway between the two buildings. Bill Bailey, Placondgo, and Dominev stood at the entrance. Growltiger led the others down the dark passage.

Thirty feet away, they could make out a figure standing in the center of the alley. As they got closer, they realized it was a ginger and brown cat.

This cat was old; not as old as Old Deuteronomy, but certainly older than Growltiger. Small bits of his fur were missing in a few places. He was rather thin, and he seemed fatigued.

When the group was about five feet away, Growltiger gestured for the others to stop. They set down the crate and stood in place.

Growltiger and Grumbuskin continued to approach the tom. When he was less than a foot away from him, he stopped and said "I am glad you came, Baltrow."

"You shall be, Growltiger," replied the old cat, Baltrow, "I only hope my information will satisfy you."

"As long as you tell me where the shipment and the precious cargo are, I am sure it will," remarked Growltiger.

"Let us begin with the shipment," Baltrow decided, "My contacts informed me that one part of it was recently imported. It should be in pristine quality."

"Good, I believe that that is the part that you ordered, Grumbuskin?" Growltiger told his First Officer.

"Indeed, sir," agreed Grumbuskin.

"You two may discuss this by yourselves for the moment," Growltiger said to the two of them, "I need a word with the others of my crew."

"Certainly," Baltrow nodded.

As the two of them continued talking, Growltiger went over to George, Victor, and Tumblebrutus. He had the three toms move closely together in a huddle and whispered to them "Something's not right here."

"Why do you say that, Boss?" asked Victor.

"Recently, Baltrow has looked as if he was sick or ill," Growltiger explained, "That is why he appears so weak. But now, I notice something more."

"Like what?" said George.

"He seems very nervous," Growltiger responded, "He looks slightly jittery, he's perspiring a little, and he has a bit of a twitch. I've never known him to be afraid of anything, even death."

"So, you think something's wrong?" asked Tumblebrutus.

"Well, I definitely smell a rat…" answered Growltiger.

"Whoops, I guess I should have brushed my teeth after lunch," commented Victor.

"Very funny, Victor," Growltiger sarcastically remarked, "But I do suspect that something is not right. So we'll have a slight alteration to the plan. Tumblebrutus, I want you to go speak with Bill Bailey. Tell him to have Placondgo and Dominev search the surrounding area and to look for anything suspicious. Then I want you and Bill Bailey to monitor the negotiation from the entrance of the alley. Victor, George, stay with me. But keep your guard up."

"Yes, sir," the three toms replied simultaneously.

Tumblebrutus turned and ran over to the front of the alleyway. Victor and George stood close by the crate as Growltiger reentered the negotiations with Baltrow and Grumbuskin.

As Tumblebrutus approached the entrance of the alley, he whispered "Hey… Bill!"

The security chief turned to Tumble and sharply replied "That's 'Bill Bailey' to you!"

Tumblebrutus rolled his eyes and said exasperatedly "Whatever."

"What do you want?" asked Bill Bailey impatiently.

"Growltiger – I mean, the Boss –" Tumble quickly corrected himself, "tells me that something seems out of place to him. He wants Placondgo and Dominev to search the surrounding area for anything out of the ordinary."

"Oh, he does, now does he?" said Placondgo.

"Yes, he does," Tumblebrutus replied.

"How do we know those are his actual orders and you're not trying to get us in trouble?" queried Dominev.

Tumblebrutus could tell that the two of them did not trust him. However, he had noticed that they seemed to respect people when they were stern and serious.

Tumblebrutus deepened and raised his voice a little and told them "Are you questioning the Boss's orders? Should I tell him about this?"

Placondgo and Dominev both shook their heads nervously.

"Then search the damn area like he ordered," Tumblebrutus told them.

The two toms nodded, held onto their spearheads, and went to investigate the vicinity.

Bill Bailey turned to Tumblebrutus and, nodding, told him "That was quite impressive."

"I've already learned a few things from the crew and the ship," said Tumblebrutus.

"Indeed you have," said Bill Bailey, continuing to nod.

The two of them kept watch over the five times in the alley as the negotiations went on.

"Now that we've got everything about the shipment settled, we can discuss the most important items," Growltiger was saying to Baltrow, "How are they?"

"They're in fine condition," answered the old tom.

"Did you take all the precautions you were told to take?" said the Bravo Cat.

"Yes, I did," replied Baltrow, "We made sure that no one knew too much, in case any of your enemies went looking for them."

"So, do you know where they are?" inquired Growltiger.

There was a short silence in the alleyway. During that silence, Tumblebrutus happened to look up. On the roofs of the buildings, he could have sworn he saw a figure moving on each one.

He wordlessly pointed this out to Bill Bailey. When the security chief took a look, he saw that there was in fact someone on the rooftops.

"You keep an eye on them," Bill Bailey whispered to Tumble, "I'll go tell Placondgo and Dominev to check it out."

Tumblebrutus nodded and kept his eyes fixed on the ledges of the rooftops.

At that point, Baltrow gave his reply "That was part of the system we established. I do not know exactly where they are."

Growltiger looked very disappointed right then, but Baltrow quickly added "But I do know a person who knows where they are."

"Well, tell me." Growltiger almost demanded.

By that time, Placondgo and Dominev had climbed their way to the top of the two buildings via the fire exits.

Tumblebrutus could definitely make out at least two figures standing by the ledges of either building. They were also cats, but it was too dark for him to make out their appearances. He noticed that they were holding something in their arms. When he looked closer, he realized what they were holding. They were archery sets!

Each of the figures had notched an arrow onto their bows and pointed them directly at Growltiger. They pulled back the strings quietly and took aim.

Thinking quickly, Tumblebrutus shouted down the alley "Boss, above you!"

Growltiger looked up and saw what Tumble saw.

"Get down!" he shouted to the others.

Just as Growltiger, Grumbuskin, Victor, and George dropped to the ground, the four figures released their bowstrings. Four arrows flew downward into the alley below. None of them hit Growltiger or any of his crew, but one of them struck Baltrow just beneath his right lung.

"Baltrow!" Growltiger shouted in alarm. He ran over to his friend's aid while Grumbuskin, Victor, and George took defensive stances.

On top of the right building – the boating supplies shop – Dominev snuck up behind one of the attackers, who were about to fire a second round. He slowly raised his spearhead into the air and, with one swift thrust, plunged it directly into the assailant's back.

The assailant shouted in agonizing pain and dropped his weapon. Dominev extracted his spear out of his back and kicked him over the side of the building. The figure was dead before he hit the ground.

By then, the other three attackers snapped to attention. A fourth one came out of nowhere and appeared at the end of the alleyway opposite of Tumblebrutus' position.

"Pull back!" the new apparition ordered the others.

The four of them started to make a hasty retreat.

Victor went over to the corpse of the figure that had fallen off the roof. He turned him over to get a good look at him.

Then he growled and informed the others "It's the Siamese."

"Shit," Growltiger muttered under his breath. He turned to the end of the alley that faced the docks and shouted "Tumblebrutus, there's a gate that leads to the streets on the other end of the marina! It's the only way in or out of this place! You have to get there before the Siamese do and lock it up!"

"What if they escape by the river?" Tumblebrutus responded.

"They won't!" Growltiger assured him, "There are no other boats here tonight! Besides, my crew could handle that! But you must seal off the gate!"

"Yes, sir!" answered Tumblebrutus. He turned to the open area and ran as fast as he could to the other end of the marina.

At that same time, the other cat on the roof of the boating supplies building had made it to the ground. But he was ambushed by Victor and George and quickly knocked out.

On the roof of the fish packaging factory, Placondgo was hiding in the shadows. As the two Siamese cats on the roof ran past him, he dove out and waved his spearhead at them. One of them was struck directly on the throat. He immediately started bleeding and collapsed onto the ground. A minute later, he bled to death. But in that minute, his partner did not stop running. He just headed to the fire exit and climbed down it to make his getaway.

Growltiger turned to Victor and George and told them "Stay here with Baltrow. Do whatever it takes to keep him alive. I need that information."

Victor and George nodded their heads and turned their attention to the wounded tom.

"Grumbuskin, come with me," Growltiger ordered his First Officer, "We can't let them escape. Even if Tumblebrutus manages to close the gate in time, he won't stand a chance against two grown Siamese toms."

Without another word spoken, the two toms quickly started to make their way to the other end of the marina.

At that same time, Tumblebrutus ran as fast as he could to that same destination. He was among the fastest runners in the Jellicle Tribe, but he did not know if he could outrun the Siamese.

Two minutes later, he arrived at the end of the walkway. He turned on the corner and came to the gate. It was wide open, but he quickly found a console that would close it. Unfortunately, the key needed to operate the console was not in its slot. Tumblebrutus quickly looked around in an open room and found the key hanging on a bulletin board.

Working quickly, Tumble took the key, returned to the console, activated it, closed off the gate, and removed the key. Then he hid it in a very small hole in the wall.

Tumblebrutus hid in the open room and waited calmly for something to happen. Before long, the remaining two Siamese cats arrived at the gate, but they were surprised when they discovered it was closed.

"What the hell?" said one of them, "I thought I told you to leave this thing open!"

"I did," insisted the other one, "I made sure of it myself!"

"Well, go get the key," ordered the first one, "And hurry! We cannot linger here!"

Tumblebrutus hid on the other end of the room as the second cat came in. He looked all over the bulletin board, but he could not find the key.

"The key's gone!" he told his colleague.

"What?"

"It's gone!"

"How can it be gone?"

"I don't know; we left it right here."

"Well, we don't have time to look for it now," said the first one, "We have no choice but to wait here and ambush anyone that comes by. Then we'll look for the key."

"Sounds reasonable," commented the second tom as he stepped back outside.

The moment he stepped back outside, Tumblebrutus attacked him from behind, making him land flat on his face.

The other tom quickly took action. He ran over to Tumblebrutus and tried to strike him several times. But Tumblebrutus managed to dodge each of his blows.

At one point in the fight, Tumble jumped into the air and kicked the tom in the side. The tom collapsed and held his side while Tumble struck him again to ensure that he would not retaliate.

The other tom slowly rose to his feet and glared at Tumblebrutus when his back was turned. He ran towards him with his claws raised.

But at that exact moment, Bill Bailey arrived around the corner. With the incredible speed, he took a small blade out of his belt and flung it at the tom that was approaching Tumblebrutus from behind. The blade struck him directly in the forehead, killing him almost instantly.

Tumblebrutus quickly noticed this. Looking back and forth from Bill Bailey to the dead Siamese tom, he said "Thanks."

"Don't mention it," Bill Bailey gruffly responded.

Soon, Growltiger and Grumbuskin arrived. They looked around and saw that both of the Siamese cats had been disabled.

"Good work," Growltiger told Tumblebrutus and Bill Bailey.

"Sir, I believe that this one is the leader of this small group," Tumblebrutus informed his Captain, gesturing at the tom on the ground in front of him.

Growltiger approached the tom on the ground, grabbed him by the part of his head between his ears, and lifted his head into the air.

This Siamese tom was part gray and part tan. He had a rigid glare and a cold expression across his countenance. Growltiger knew who he was.

"Nihaar…" he hissed.

The Siamese tom smirked and spoke in a deep voice "It's been a long time."

"Not long enough," said Grumbuskin.

"What are you doing here?" Growltiger demanded.

"We've been watching that contact of yours for a long time now," Nihaar answered, still smirking, "Old fool thought he was not followed. We knew he was meeting with you, so we set up an ambush."

Growltiger dropped the Siamese tom and told him "You will regret this night."

He then turned to Tumblebrutus and ordered him to open the gate. Tumble was a little confused at first, but he did not want to question Growltiger's orders. He retrieved the key, used it to activated the console again, and reopened the gate.

Growltiger turned to Nihaar and told him "Get out of here."

Nihaar raised an eyebrow and said "What?" in disbelief as if he did not understand.

Growltiger told him "We need someone to send this message to Genghis: 'We will not tolerate these unprovoked attacks. What you have done tonight is a wanton act of war. Be prepared.'"

Nihaar slowly nodded and ran off as fast as he could. Growltiger, Grumbuskin, Bill Bailey, and the others watched him disappear in the distance.

After a brief interval of silence, the four toms returned to the key to the bulletin board, threw the body of the dead Siamese cat into the river, and returned to the alley on the other end of the marina.

Victor and George were using one of the med kits from the crate in an attempt to stabilize Baltrow. They had managed to extract the arrow, but he was still badly wounded.

Growltiger had the others back away so that he could speak with Baltrow. He kneeled in front of him and said softly "I need you to tell me where they are."

Baltrow spoke softly to conserve his strength: "I d-don't know w-where… exactly th-they are, b-but I can t-tell you what p-part… of the city."

"Is there someone there who can lead me to them?" asked Growltiger.

"Y-y-yes, th-there is someone who… c-can help you," Baltrow weakly responded.

"Where?" Growltiger inquired "Where are they?"

Baltrow struggled to keep his breathing up. Finally, he was able to answer his friend.

"Hampton," gasped Baltrow, speaking with a little more ease "You'll find them at Hampton. When you go there, ask for… for Roshedam. He'll take you to them."

"Hampton, Roshedam," Growltiger quickly repeated the place and name, "Okay, I've got it! Now hold on. We'll get you some help."

"Don't… bother," whispered Baltrow, "I'm a d-dead tom, anyway. Genghis will s-stop at nothing until I'm gone."

"I can't just let you die!" Growltiger protested.

"Please, Growltiger, d-do this f-for me," Baltrow pleaded, "I was already suffering of a terminal illness beforehand: liver cancer."

Growltiger looked down at his friend as if he had misheard him. Then he just asked him "For how long?"

"Several weeks," answered Baltrow, "I would have thought that you'd be able to recognize the signs of the disease."

"You mean, the weight loss, the fatigue, the loss of appetite… that was liver cancer all along?" the Bravo Cat asked, but somewhat rhetorically.

"Yes," said Baltrow, "You may have also noticed that the areas around my eye pupils are yellow."

Growltiger looked closer and noticed that the sclera of Baltrow's eyes was in fact a bright yellow. He asked him "Is that jaundice?"

"It certainly is," confirmed Baltrow, "I visited the precinct doctor a few days ago. He told me I would have been dead in about a month. Even if you manage to save me, I'll only last a few more weeks. Just let me end my suffering here and now. Please…"

Growltiger stood in utter silence for a few moments. Then he whispered "Alright. I will do it for you. But only because you're my friend."

Baltrow slowly nodded his acknowledgement of Growltiger's statement. When he was finishing nodding, his head froze in its position. His eyes were staring into nothingness.

Growltiger closed his eyes and bowed his head in respect for his friend. The other toms behind him did the same.

Growltiger slowly stood up and turned to his company.

"We'll bring his body back with us," he told them, "Baltrow has a younger sister, who has a mate and three kits. They're the only family he had, so we'll take his body to them."

"What about the crate, Boss?" asked George.

"We'll take it to them as well, so that it may compensate them for their loss," answered Growltiger.

The other toms found this to be a reasonable arrangement.

Victor and George informed Growltiger that they managed to capture one of the Siamese cats alive. Growltiger decided to take him to the ship to question him later.

The group quickly made their way back to the ship. Grumbuskin, George, Victor, and Tumblebrutus carried the crate with them. Placondgo and Dominev carried the unconscious Siamese cat. Growltiger and Bill Bailey took Baltrow's corpse.

Soon, everybody was back on board the _Demagogue_. Dominev and Placondgo took the Siamese cat to the brig. Bill Bailey took Baltrow's body to the morgue. George went to return the crate to the cargo hold, and Victor went to navigations room to get the ship underway again.

That left Tumblebrutus alone with Growltiger and Grumbuskin. He turned to the former of them and said "Sir, there's something I would really like to know about that negotiation."

"What might that be, Tumblebrutus?" asked the Bravo Cat.

"When you were talking about the 'precious cargo' with Baltrow, you and he only referred to the cargo as 'they' or 'them,'" Tumblebrutus noted, "I would like to know, just what exactly is this 'precious cargo?'"

"Yeah, Captain, I'd like to know about that, too," said Grumbuskin.

Growltiger did not answer immediately. But then he sighed, meaning he had decided – though reluctantly – to give Tumblebrutus and Grumbuskin the truthful answer.

"Come with me to the Officer's Lounge," he instructed them, "I'll tell you there. I don't feel comfortable talking about it out here in the open."

A few minutes later, the three toms were settled in the Officer's Lounge with Griddlebone. Growltiger had told her that his explanation concerned her somewhat, so she had agreed to speak with him.

Grumbuskin was still a little on edge from the ambush. To calm himself, he took his small box of catnip and tried to open it up. But his paws were shaking too much for him to concentrate. Tumblebrutus went over and opened it for him.

"Thanks," Grumbuskin said softly. Tumble just smiled in return. Grumbuskin took out a few leaves from the box and inhaled them quickly. After a moment, he felt at ease. He and Tumblebrutus stood in front of the Bravo Cat, and waited for him to begin.

Growltiger gazed at both of the toms before stating: "The precious cargo I was referring to is my children."


	9. Long And Short Term Plans

Tumblebrutus and Grumbuskin both stared at Growltiger as if they had misheard him.

"You have children?" said Tumble.

"Yes; a son and two daughters," Growltiger confirmed.

"Who's their mother?" inquired Grumbuskin.

"Me," Griddlebone answered simply.

"Captain…" said Grumbuskin, "You never told any member of the crew – not even me – that you had children."

"That was to protect them," Growltiger stated, "I have many enemies; so I kept my children a secret in order to hide them from those who wished to do me harm."

"But why are you looking for them?" asked Tumblebrutus.

"Because not long ago, they ran away," Griddlebone replied, looking down at the ground sadly, "And that's my fault."

"No, it is not," Growltiger assured her, putting his arm around her shoulders, "I should have been with you to care for them. I am the one to blame."

"You were only taking precautions to keep them safe," she responded, "I was just being downright overprotective."

"What exactly happened?" asked Tumblebrutus, "Why did they run away?"

Neither Growltiger nor Griddlebone answered him straight away. They were both contemplating how they should answer his question.

"We should probably start at the beginning of it all," Growltiger spoke at last.

He and Griddlebone kept their explanation brief, but covered the most important details regarding the main topic thoroughly.

Around five years earlier, Growltiger and Grumbuskin had enlisted themselves in the feline navy. The two of them managed to get assigned to the same commanding officer. As time passed, the two of them worked their way up the ranks. Before long, they had become independent, taken up piracy, and created their own crew.

In all that time, Growltiger and Griddlebone had been in contact with each other constantly. He had visited her at least once every week.

About thirty months earlier – halfway in-between the day Growltiger had joined the navy and the present day – Growltiger and Griddlebone shared a very passionate night with each other. Not long after that, Griddlebone discovered she was pregnant.

About two more months later, she had given birth to three kittens – a tom they named Dawlimer and two queens they named Scurtena and Bellazni.

After the kittens were born, Growltiger had left Grumbuskin in charge of the _Demagogue _for a while so that he could spend a few weeks with them and his mate.

However, it was right then that he realized that his family was one of his few weaknesses. If any of his enemies ever got to them, they could use them against him. So he decided that he had to protect them. But he could only accomplish this by staying away from them for great periods of time.

Growltiger explained his plan to Griddlebone. She was somewhat reluctant, but understood his concern. He continued to support her and keep in touch with her, but the length of time between his visits began to increase. Eventually, it got to the point where Growltiger just stopped visiting them. It was not because he was too tied up in his own affairs to spend time with his family; it was because he was too worried about the safety of his family to risk seeing them anymore.

Over time, the kittens were starting to become impatient when their mother would not tell them when their father was coming home. They knew very well what type of business he was involved in, but they did not see any reason for their father to neglect them. They finally concluded by themselves that he had abandoned them.

Their mother tried her best to convince them otherwise, but she had little success. In fact, they began to think that SHE had something to do with their father being away all the time.

Finally, Dawlimer, Scurtena, and Bellazni became so angry at their parents that they had decided to run away. This had happened just four months earlier. Griddlebone had not seen them since.

She contacted Growltiger and had a messenger inform him of what had happened. He immediately brought this to his attention. Griddlebone had explained her plan to him: She would begin a search for their children and give the news to anyone she and Growltiger could trust. They would set up a special, complex network to have them located and returned home safely.

When Griddlebone discovered that Growltiger was planning a meeting with Baltrow, she had contacted the elderly cat and arranged for him to speak with another cat. The other cat knew where to find the kittens, as well as who was looking out for them.

After this arrangement had been made, Growltiger and Griddlebone had decided that she would come on board the _Demagogue _so that she could explain the entire plan to him. They had also decided that once the kittens were found, the five of them would stay on board the _Demagogue _together. Growltiger had finally convinced himself that it was safe enough for them to live there with him.

"Now that we know that they are in Hampton, we simply need to wait until the time is right," Growltiger stated, "Then we can bring them home."

"'Wait until the time is right?'" repeated Tumblebrutus.

"More arrangements need to be made beforehand," Griddlebone elucidated, "We will handle this with the secret network we've established across the city."

"But before we do that, we have a more pressing matter to attend to," said Growltiger, "One of Genghis' top cats – Nihaar – managed track Baltrow to the rendezvous point. He ambushed us during the meeting. Baltrow died shortly after giving me the information."

"What exactly is the more pressing matter?" asked Griddlebone.

"We now have evidence that Genghis is stalking us," explained Grumbuskin, "We have to chase him and his goons off first. After that, we can organize a plan to bring your children home safely."

"A wise strategy, sir," commented Tumblebrutus, "How should we manage that?"

"First, I'll have Bill Bailey and Grumbuskin interrogate the Siamese tom we took prisoner this evening," stated Growltiger, "Odds are he won't speak, but it is worth trying. After that, I plan for us to send Genghis a little message of our own."

"How?" asked Tumble.

Growltiger grinned evilly and replied "We will assault one of his outposts along the river."

Tumblebrutus raised an eyebrow in interest. "Sir, forgive me for saying this; I know you are far more experienced than I at this job, but are you certain that is the wisest course of action to take?"

Growltiger slowly nodded and stated "Tumblebrutus, all pirates live by a simple rule: 'In time of war, after the first blow is delivered, never hesitate to retaliate with greater force. You must let your enemies know that you mean business.'"

Tumblebrutus could not argue with that logic.

"In fact, Tumblebrutus, I may have a role for you to play in the assault," explained Growltiger.

"Anything, sir," said Tumble, "As long as I don't have to… you know, shed some blood of others."

"No, no, it's nothing like that," Growltiger assured him, "It's much less violent than that, but more dangerous and tactical."

"Alright," Tumble agreed, "Tell me what you want me to do."

"One step at a time, Tumble," said Growltiger, "First, we need to put the plan together and decide who will be in the assault party. Then we will assign roles. Until then, I want you to keep guarding the bridge."

"Yes, sir," said Tumblebrutus.

"Very good," Growltiger grinned again, "You are dismissed."

Tumblebrutus saluted his Captain and left the Officer's Lounge.

Back the Jellicle Junkyard, Jemima was sitting by herself on top of the TSE-1. Victoria, Etcetera, and Electra were spending some time around Rum Tum Tugger in the center of the clearing. Normally, Jemima would happily join her friends, but she had something else on her mind.

She still could not figure out what exactly Tumblebrutus had been planning on telling her the other night. He actually seemed to be avoiding her ever since then. She had asked around to see if anybody else had any idea about what Tumblebrutus was going through, but it seemed no one had the faintest idea.

However, just an hour earlier, Exotica had told Jemima about the other night. She and Tugger had been spending some time together in his den when Tumblebrutus had knocked on the door. When Tugger came back to Exotica, he happened to mention that Tumble had asked him for some advice on how to manage a relationship with a queen.

Jemima noted that this took place just before Tumble had come to speak with her. As she reflected on this matter, she started to develop a few theories about Tumble's behavior.

She decided that the only way she could acquire the truth was to speak with Tugger directly.

She got up and went to the center of the clearing. Tugger saw her approaching and smiled at her.

"Good evening, Jemima," he greeted her warmly, "Come to join in the fun?"

"Well, um…" she began, "Tugger, can I talk to you alone for a moment?"

"About what?" he asked.

"It's a personal matter regarding Tumblebrutus," Jemima told him, "I fell there is something you know that I also need to know."

"Okay," Tugger agreed.

Etcetera, Electra, and Victoria complied with Jemima's request. They went to the side of the clearing to let her talk with Tugger privately.

"So, what did you want to know?" he asked her.

"Tugger, the other night, Tumble approached me and talked to me about our friendship with each other," she explained, "He pointed out how we've been best friends for a long time, but he wanted 'more than friends.' When I asked him to be more specific, he got very nervous. Before long, he abruptly ended the conversation and ran off. He and I have barely spoken since then."

"Why are you telling me this?" inquired Tugger.

"Exotica told me that you had spoken with Tumblebrutus only a few minutes earlier," Jemima answered, "She told me that he had asked you how to start a certain type of relationship with a queen. So, I was wondering if you knew anything more about this?"

Tugger was surprised to hear this; Tumblebrutus had not even started his relationship with Jemima yet!

"I know **precisely** what is going on," he told her.

"What?" she asked him, "What does this all mean?"

Tugger kneeled down and stroked Jemima kindly on the cheek. He explained "Jem, it's actually quite obvious when you think about it. Tumblebrutus loves you."

Jemima stood still and took these words in carefully. She looked up at Tugger and said "He… he does?"

He nodded with a smile on his face and replied "Of course he does. When he asked me for relationship advice, he was asking for how to start a serious relationship with a queen. That queen was you."

"So, you are saying…" she began.

"When Tumblebrutus spoke to you about being more than best friends, he was trying to ask you to be his future mate," Tugger confirmed.

A merry smile slowly crossed Jemima's face. But something was still bothering her. "If that is the case, why did he run off?"

Tugger shook his head and responded "I think his anxiety and nervousness got the better of him. He was probably worried that you would refuse his offer."

"How could I refuse something like that from him!" she stated, "Surely he knows that I care for him as much as he cares for me."

"When he gets home, I suggest that you go speak to him about this," Tugger advised her, "Then you can set everything straight with him."

Jemima smiled again and said "Thank you, Tugger. Wait… where is he, anyway?"

"I think he got a job in the city," Tugger clarified, "He may not be back until around midnight or later."

"What kind of job?" she asked.

"Beats me," said Tugger, "The only ones who know are Coricopat and Tantomile. In fact, the only reason I know of it is because I overheard Tumble talking to them about it this morning."

"Well, as soon as he gets back – if not tomorrow morning – I'll talk to him," Jemima told the Maine Coon.

Tugger continued smiling and kindly stroked her cheek again.

"You're a good kit, Jem," he told her, "You deserve a good tom like Tumble. And he deserves a good queen like you."

She blushed and looked away.


	10. Somebody That Matters

A little more than an hour later, the Siamese prisoner had regained consciousness. Bill Bailey and Grumbuskin had gone down to the brig to interrogate him under close watch.

Bill Bailey kept the tom restrained while Grumbuskin tried to extract some information. He used a lot of physical force to persuade him. The tan and black Siamese tom did not utter a word; he did not even tell them his name.

After landing a few fierce blows onto the Siamese tom's face, he paused to catch his breath. He eyed the prisoner closely and told him "We can do this all night, you know. It's only a matter of time before you crack."

The Siamese tom remained silent. Grumbuskin pounded his face twice more. The second blow landed just below his jaw. In response, the tom coughed violently.

"Feel like talking, yet?" remarked Grumbuskin, "Or do you want some more?"

"Give me all you got," snarled the Siamese tom, "You'll never get anything out of me."

Grumbuskin grinned wickedly and said "We'll just see about that."

He continued to brutally beat the Siamese tom, but the foreign cat would not tell them anything. He was determined to submit himself to torture without giving away any pertinent information.

After over twenty minutes, the prisoner finally gave in, but only told them one thing: "We have indeed been after you for a while now. My Captain did issue an order for your captain to be killed."

Grumbuskin smirked and struck the prisoner again. He told him "If it's a war you want, you shall have one."

The Siamese tom also smirked. He said "If there is a war, my people will not be the ones to start it. If you kill me, you seal your fate."

"What makes you so sure your side will win?" Bill Bailey remarked.

"For one thing, you are one lone ship," the Siamese tom replied, "Genghis has an armada at his disposal."

"We have many allies on this river," said Grumbuskin sharply, "All of them will gladly side and fight alongside us."

"Even so, you're outnumbered," said the Siamese tom, "You should probably just surrender now before the fighting begins."

Grumbuskin struck the Siamese tom again. This time the prisoner started bleeding and coughed violently.

"We'd never surrender to the likes of you!" Grumbuskin shouted, "We'd all rather die fighting than live with such a dishonor!"

There was a knock on the door to the brig. Bill Bailey kept the Siamese cat restrained while Grumbuskin went to the door. He opened a slot in it and saw Growltiger looking back at him.

"Progress report," the Bravo Cat requested.

"We've tried everything, Captain," Grumbuskin answered, "He won't talk. He's more rigid than a beam made of titanium."

"I was expecting as much," sighed Growltiger, "Oh, well, I suppose it's time to give the crew a little entertainment."

Grumbuskin knew exactly what his boss meant. He grinned mischievously and asked him "Shall I prepare the plank, sir?"

Growltiger nodded. "Have the crew assemble on the bridge."

"It will be done, sir," Grumbuskin closed the slot in the door and turned back to the prisoner. He walked back towards him, leaned down to his face, and said "This is your last chance. Talking might save your life."

"You are such a liar," snapped the Siamese tom, "I know that I'm dead anyway. So let's just get this over with."

Grumbuskin and Bill Bailey looked at each other and shrugged, as if they were going to say "Oh, well."

About fifteen minutes later, the entire crew of the _Demagogue _was assembled on the bridge. They were gathered around the only part of the barge that had no railing. Grumbuskin stood by a computer panel; Tumblebrutus was at his side.

"What exactly is going on?" Tumble whispered to Grumbuskin.

"We're about to let someone off the ship," Grumbuskin responded.

"Who?" asked Tumble, "And how? We're not docked, and there aren't any other boats close by."

"We're letting the Siamese tom we captured earlier off the ship," Grumbuskin clarified with his wicked grin, "We're giving him to the depths of the Thames."

In a way, Tumblebrutus was and was not surprised by this answer. He had a feeling that Growltiger would not keep the Siamese prisoner for long and that he would be executed, but he did not suspect that it would happen this quickly.

Soon, Bill Bailey and Farios came up to the bridge. In-between them was the Siamese prisoner, who had his front paws bound in front of him. Soon, the crew of the _Demagogue _cleared the way to give them a straight path to Grumbuskin. As Bill Bailey and Farios forced the prisoner to walk with them down the aisle, the crew started jeering and shouting at the Siamese prisoner. The Siamese prisoner remained incredulous to everything he heard and saw.

Soon they reached Grumbuskin. When that happened, the First Officer turned to the computer panel and activated a switch. A long, metallic board started to jettison itself from the ship. It extended right underneath the part of the ship that had no railing. Tumblebrutus could recognize that part of the ship anywhere: It was the plank.

Before long, Growltiger and Griddlebone arrived on the bridge. The two of them made their way over to the area around the plank and stopped in front of the Siamese prisoner.

After getting the order from Growltiger, Grumbuskin looked down at the Siamese tom and told him "Waelik, son of Mouveilyr, you are found guilty of murder, attempted murder, and conspiring against our Captain. For this, you shall walk the plank."

(The only other thing they managed to extract from the prisoner was his name and his father's name.)

The crew started cheering as Bill Bailey and Farios pushed Waelik onto the plank. Bill Bailey took his spearhead and used it to force Waelik out to the very end of the plank.

"Any last words?" offered Growltiger.

Waelik turned around and glared back at Growltiger. He seemed perfectly calm, even though he was fully aware that he was about to die. He only said one thing: "The days of your domain are numbered."

No one spoke for a few moments. But then Growltiger just scoffed and retorted "As are the moments of your life."

He turned to Grumbuskin and gave him a nod. Grumbuskin pressed a button on the panel. The metallic plank started shaking violently. Waelik lost his balance and fell into the water.

The crew continued to cheer as they watched the Siamese tom struggled to remain on the surface of the water. But with his front paws bound, it was useless for him to even attempt to do so.

Tumblebrutus watched as Waelik slowly drowned in the Thames. Normally, the thought of death made him cringe in fear and disgust. But this time, he felt no such emotions. He cheered with everyone else until Waelik was dead.

After all the excitement died down, Growltiger turned back to his crew and told them "Gentlemen, due to recent events, a war with the Siamese is inevitable now. I will not delude you by telling you that it will be an easy war, as there is no such thing. If anyone here does not wish to participate, he must speak now."

He paused and listened for a response. But no one uttered a single word.

Grumbuskin smiled and told his Captain "We're all with you to the end, sir."

At that, everyone cheered in agreement, even Tumblebrutus. He felt that the thrills of being a sailor were about to really begin now.

Growltiger had moved the departure time for the _Demagogue _down to nine o'clock at night. He planned to do a lot more work at night than usual during the upcoming war.

A few hours later, the ship docked again. Tumblebrutus got off the ship and headed back to the Jellicle Junkyard. When he got there, he found that everybody was already asleep. Alonzo was on patrol duty, but Tumble managed to slip past him.

When he arrived in the clearing, he expected to find it empty. But to his vast surprise, he found Jemima there all by herself.

Jemima had been waiting all night for Tumblebrutus to return. When she saw him enter the clearing, she quickly went over to him.

"Hi, Tumble," she told him sweetly.

"Um… hi, Jemima," he said, nervously, "How are you doing?"

"I'm doing alright, thank you," she responded, "Look, Tumble, there's something we have to talk about."

"Oh, yeah," he said, "Jem, I'm really sorry about how I acted the other night. I don't really have any excuse for how I reacted during our conversation-"

"Tumble," she interrupted, "It's alright. I understand now."

"You do?"

"Yes," she said, "Tugger told me that you went to him for advice on how to work a relationship with a queen. He told me about your plan to start one with me."

Tumblebrutus was speechless. How long had Jemima known this?

"What… what else did he tell you?" asked Tumble.

"Well, I told him about our conversation," she elucidated, "And he interpreted that you were trying to ask me to be your future mate."

Tumble did not respond to that statement. After a short silence, Jemima asked him "Tumble, were… were you trying to ask me that?"

Tumble started to sweat in anxiety. He wanted to answer that question intelligently and properly. He took a deep breath and told Jemima "I… Well, I… Yes, Jem. I guess I was."

Jemima then did something Tumble was not expecting at all. She stepped forward quickly and hugged Tumble. That action took him very much by surprise. But then he hugged her in return.

She whispered "Tumble, you shouldn't have been afraid that I would have refused you. In fact, there is something you should know; something I've wanted to tell you for a while now."

"What is that, Jem?" he asked her quietly.

The two of them came apart and Jemima looked up into Tumble's eyes. She told him "Tumble, I… I love you."

Once again, Tumblebrutus was left speechless. He had no idea that Jemima would say that phrase to him before he said it to her. He hugged her again and said "I love you, too, Jem. Not just as a best friend, but as an actual lover."

When they came apart again, Tumblebrutus and Jemima looked into each other's eyes again. He said "Would you like to have dinner together tomorrow night?"

"Ourselves alone?" she assumed.

"Of course," he confirmed.

She slowly nodded. "That would be lovely, Tumble. What time?"

"How about seven o'clock in my den?" Tumble offered, "I'll make sure that we'll be by ourselves for at least a half-hour."

"Sounds great," she replied, smiling again, "I'll see you then."

A little while later, the two of them went to bed.

The next day, word quickly went around that Jemima and Tumblebrutus were together. Several members of the Tribe were congratulating the two of them. Their respective mothers Jennyanydots and Jellylorum both made comments about how they made a very adorable couple. Needless to say, Jemima and Tumble tried their best to avoid listening to everything their mothers said about their relationship. It was mostly along the lines of "You two would be so cute together!" It was enough to make Tumble sick.

They spent much of the day together, but they were usually in the company of their friends.

At seven o'clock sharp, Jemima arrived at the entrance of Tumblebrutus' den. She politely knocked and Tumble let her in. They smiled at each other as Tumble escorted her inside.

There was a makeshift table in the front room of the den. It was lined with a clean white table cloth. A few linen napkins were placed on two makeshift chairs. Tumble had already placed food on the table. His mother had helped him cook some ham, bake some bread, and make some salad. There were also two large mugs of milk on the table.

Tumble had taken the time to reference human etiquette books on how to properly set a table for semi-formal occasions. He had made sure every detail was flawless. The bread plate went to the left of the main plate; the drink went to the right of it. The fork also went to the left; the knife and spoon also went to the right in that respective order. Tumble had even placed two lit candles in the center of the table.

"Tumble, I'm so amazed!" was all Jemima could say when she saw the table's display.

He just smiled and led her to her chair. The two of them sat down and began eating.

Jemima decided to start a conversation. She remarked "I must say, everybody seems thrilled that we are together now."

"I know what you mean," he said, "It's almost as if they were expecting us to be a pair."

"That would not surprise me," she said, "I guess they think it was only a matter of time before we got together."

Tumble shrugged. "I guess."

There was a short interval of silence in the room as the two adolescent kittens continued eating. Only the clinking sound of the plates could be heard. Finally, Jemima looked up at Tumblebrutus and said "Tumble, can I ask you a question?"

"You just did," he pointed out.

She chuckled at his little joke, and then said "But seriously, there is something I would like to know."

"What might that be?" he asked.

"Where did you go the other night when you were in the city?" she inquired.

Tumblebrutus was more than prepared to answer this question. He told her "I went to the docks to spend some time by myself."

"Why?" she asked.

"Oh, I like the docks," he explained, "It seems that I can always find some amount of solace when I go there."

"That makes sense," she concurred, "I'll bet everyone has a place like that."

"Wouldn't surprise me," he said.

"Also, Tugger told me earlier that he thinks you got a job in the city," Jemima stated.

This was one thing Tumblebrutus did not expect to hear. But he simply asked calmly "What do you mean by that?"

"He told me that he overheard you talking to Coricopat and Tantomile yesterday morning," she explained.

Tumble rolled his eyes in annoyance and commented "Tugger just has to know everything, doesn't he?"

"Perhaps," she shrugged, "But I would like to know; did you get a job?"

Tumblebrutus was careful when he answered this question. He could not bring himself to lie to Jemima, but he did not want to share everything with her. His answer was "Yes, I did get a job. A job that involves helping a group of cats trading goods and information across the city."

"That's nice," she smiled at him, "Your job involves helping other people out?"

"Indeed it does," he nodded, "But I want you to promise me one thing."

"What's that?"

"Please don't tell anyone else about this," he requested, "My… employer does not like too many people knowing about his business."

"How come?"

"He just doesn't. That's all I can say. But I'm sure he has his reasons."

"Well, alright then, Tumble, you have my word," she promised, "I won't tell anyone else. But what should I say if somebody asks where you are?"

"Just tell them I went on a walk around the city," Tumble instructed her, "It wouldn't be lying, as I do have to walk a long way to get there, and I do a lot of travelling around the city."

"Alright, I'll do that."

He kept smiling at her and said "Thanks."

After dinner, the two of them had some hard candy for dessert. At eight-thirty, Tumble told Jemima that he had to get back to the docks.

"What time will you be home tonight?" she asked.

"I don't know, probably late," he answered.

"Well, get home safely," she told him.

"I will," he said. He kissed her on the cheek and started making his way back to the docks.

Tumble arrived just five minutes before the ship was set to depart. Grumbuskin was standing at the boarding ramp with the attendance roster in his paws.

Tumble said brightly "Good evening, Grumbuskin."

"Good evening, Tumblebrutus," replied the First Officer. He looked up from his clipboard and saw that Tumble had a wide smile across his face. Grumbuskin smirked and commented "You seem to be in a good mood tonight."

"Oh, I am," Tumble nodded.

The next few days went by in a similar manner. In the daytime, Tumblebrutus would hang out with Jemima and his friends. In the nighttime, he would work on board the _Demagogue _with Growltiger's raffish crew.

Growltiger found some other tasks for Tumble to take on. In addition to sentry duty, Tumblebrutus also showed a certain aptitude for organizing goods, overseeing negotiations, and even settling disputes between different divisions of the ship. The crew was starting to show him much more respect for his work. Even Victor and George were beginning to like him.

Many more events went on at night. To prepare for the war, Growltiger had arranged several meetings with the Captains of his ships run by the Bravo Cat's allies. At least once a night, the _Demagogue _rendezvoused with other vessels either at port or in the center of the river.

Tumblebrutus played a good role in making the visitors from the other vessels feel welcome. Growltiger had him escort the company on board and give them a proper greeting. On some nights, Tumblebrutus did more work than most other members of the crew did in an entire week. Tumble would go home exhausted, but he was proud of all his accomplishments.

On board the _Demagogue_, Tumblebrutus was an important person. It was not long before the crew somewhat relied on him. Some of the members of the crew took the work lightly or procrastinated every once in a while. Tumblebrutus took the work incredibly seriously and always did it when he was ordered to. Even if he was assigned menial or arduous tasks, he never complained.

Six nights after Tumblebrutus joined Growltiger's crew, Growltiger had him, Grumbuskin, Victor, George, Bill Bailey, Carbucketty, and a few other members of the crew assemble on the bridge. Once they were all lined up, Growltiger addressed them: "Gentlemen, tonight is the night that we make the first move in the war against the Siamese. I have selected you for this task for one reason and one reason alone: Because you are the best of my crew!"

Every tom there was obviously proud to hear those words, especially Tumblebrutus.

Growltiger faced them all and told them "I am depending on you tonight, gentlemen. The outcome of tonight will determine the war's length and effects. If you succeed, this may be a brief war that will end with us as the victors. If you fail, then this war may go on much longer than we would prefer it to. Do you understand me?"

"Yes, sir!" the toms answered simultaneously.

In the back of his mind, Tumblebrutus felt a twinge of fear, but he set it aside. If Growltiger needed him, then he would do whatever his Captain asked of him.

Note: The next chapter will be a little more exciting and violent than any of the past chapters. But there won't be anything too graphic.


	11. The Best Attack

Note: If you think some of the content in this chapter makes this fic M-rate worthy, please let me know! I'd hate to assign an incorrect rating.

Growltiger had the group of toms assemble in a room on the second floor known as the Meeting Chambers. It was set up like a conference room: It had a circular table in the middle, a dozen chairs around the table, and just enough lighting to keep the center of the room totally visible.

"George, the blueprints…?" Growltiger stated, as if he was going to say something after that.

"Yes, sir," George took a large rolled-up piece of paper and spread it across the table. Everyone leaned forward to get a better look. The paper was a detailed blueprint of a Siamese outpost.

"Gentleman, a few days ago, one of our spies managed to smuggle these blueprints out of the Siamese outpost at Chelsea," Growltiger told his crew, "These blueprints will be useless after tonight."

"Why, sir?" inquired Grumbuskin.

"Because by tomorrow, there won't be anything left of the outpost." Growltiger replied, a sneer across his face.

The other toms knew what he was implying, and they all sneered in turn.

Growltiger smoothed out the blueprints and started explaining the battle plans. First he pointed to a part of the river which was nine inches away from the tip of the outpost (it was actually fifty feet away in terms of scale) and told them "The _Demagogue _will come to a halt here. We will travel on the lifeboats for the rest of the way.

"We will only use three of the lifeboats: Lifeboats 3, 5, and 6." Growltiger went on, "Lifeboat 3's crew will be composed of George, Najalim, and Carbucketty. Lifeboat 5 will hold Quaftil, Bill Bailey, and Victor. Lifeboat 6 will carry myself, Grumbuskin, Tumblebrutus, Placondgo, Dominev, and Ralpharite."

Everybody made a note of this. Growltiger took his paw and placed it on the very edge of the docks in front of the Siamese hideout. He continued "Lifeboat 5 will go here. Victor, you stay with the boat and keep a watch on the area. Quaftil, Bill Bailey, you will take out any of the guards in that area. We will monitor your progress."

"It will be done, sir," Victor guaranteed his Captain.

Growltiger then gestured around the river itself and told them "Once the guards are disabled, Lifeboat 3 will survey the surrounding area and look for any Siamese ships that may be on patrol. If there are any, I want you to follow this exact tactic: George will light a blue flare, making sure to present the light in a way so that only we can see it. Carbucketty will bring the lifeboat to a standstill in a part of the river that is covered in shadow. Then George and Najalim will take two life preservers and swim up to the Siamese boats. For there, they will climb aboard and disable the crew. Once this is finished, George will light a red flare to give us the 'All-Clear.'"

"You can count on us, sir," George agreed with his Captain.

Growltiger placed his paw on a spot on the map that was further down the river in the opposite direction and told his crew "I should let you all know that in the event we are outnumbered or outflanked, our ally Captain Majibetus and his crew will be on the opposite side of the river at Battersea in his ship, the _Xanthus_. If we are overwhelmed by the Siamese forces, George will light a yellow flare. That will give Majibetus the signal to reinforce our numbers."

Growltiger had included that last part mostly to assure his crew that they would not be alone.

"Once the guards and the patrol ships are disabled, Lifeboats 3 and 6 will land at the same location as Lifeboat 5," said Growltiger, pointing out the docks once again, "Everyone on those lifeboats – including myself – will disembark there. Now, everybody pay very close attention; the next part of the plan is critical."

Everybody listened as the Captain spoke on, pointing out certain places on the blueprints at the appropriate times: "Placondgo and Dominev will search around the building for anything suspicious. Once they are through, Tumblebrutus and Ralpharite will come to the side of the building and climb to the roof. There they can access the building through an exterior ventilation shaft. From there, the two of them can make their way to the front entrance and let us all in. After that, we'll go from room to room, taking out all the Siamese in the process."

"We can handle it, sir," Tumblebrutus assured his Captain.

"Alright then, any questions?" said Growltiger, looking around at his crew. Najalim – a black and grey patched tom – raised his paw. Growltiger noticed this. "Yes, Najalim?"

"Captain, are you certain there are enough of us?" asked Najalim, "A dozen of us may not be enough to capture this stronghold."

"He does have a point, Captain," Quaftil – an orange and cream tom – nodded, "A fortress of this size must be run by at least two scores of Siamese warriors."

"There may be even more than that," said Ralpharite, who was a red and white tabby cat, "Captain, we are only telling you this because we do not want anyone in this room to die tonight."

"I understand your concerns, gentlemen," Growltiger consoled his crewmen, "But this has to be done. If we don't make the first move in this war, the Siamese definitely will. And they will do more than attack an outpost. You see, I am only sending you in there with me because I trust all of you to get this mission accomplished successfully and survive. I have doubts that any other members of the crew would live through this."

Everyone was very surprised to hear Growltiger tell them this, including Tumblebrutus. The Bravo Cat was willing to risk the lives of a few members of his crew, but he anticipated that every member of his crew would live to see the next day.

"Are there any more questions?" said Growltiger.

No one raised his paw this time. Just a few moments later, the _Demagogue_'s engines stopped, bringing the ship to a standstill. When Growltiger felt this movement, he grinned and – rolling the blueprints back up – told his crew "It's time, gentlemen."

The eleven toms all lined up and filed out of the room in an orderly fashion. First they made their way to the arsenal, where they armed themselves were belts of assorted weapons. Bill Bailey instructed Tumblebrutus how to put one on properly, as this was Tumble's first "combat situation." Once everyone was armed, they followed Growltiger down to the bottom deck.

They arrived in the vessel's lifeboat bay. In place of the floor, water covered one end of the deck and a large door was located at that same end.

Farios was standing by a computer panel with another cat. A few other cats were preparing three lifeboats for departure.

Once the lifeboats were set up, the toms filed into their assigned ships.

George, Victor, and Grumbuskin inspected Lifeboats 3, 5, and 6 respectively and they all determined that they were ready.

"Open the bay door!" Growltiger called out.

"Opening the bay door!" Farios reported as he and his assistant worked on the panel.

Across the room, the huge door slowly started rising up vertically. Once it was open all the way, Growltiger shouted "Start the engines!"

Carbucketty, Bill Bailey, and Ralpharite activated their respective lifeboats' silent engines. Once they were online, they called out "Engines started!"

Finally, Growltiger gave the order "Move out!"

"Moving out!"

Then the three lifeboats slowly made their way out of the bay. Tumblebrutus was really starting to become anxious and excited simultaneously. He noticed that Grumbuskin had brought along his box of catnip. The black and grey tom was about to inhale a few small leaves when Tumble said "Are you sure it's wise to take catnip right before an assault?"

Grumbuskin shrugged and told him "It helps me stay calm throughout the highest moments of tension. I typically have some before a battle. But not too much. I want to be sober enough to function successfully."

Tumblebrutus nodded and turned back to the water as Grumbuskin inhaled a few small leaves of catnip.

Once all three of the lifeboats had filed out of the bay, Farios sealed off the door behind them.

The three lifeboats lined up horizontally. Growltiger leaned over the side and whispered to the occupants of Lifeboat 5 "Proceed with caution."

Lifeboat 5 slowly made its way forward. Its three occupants were careful not to make a single sound as they reached the Chelsea Embankment. Once they came ashore, Quaftil and Bill Bailey jumped out of the ship while Victor kept watch.

Sure enough, there were two Siamese toms patrolling the docks. Both of them were armed with long blades.

"You take the closer one," Bill Bailey whispered to Quaftil, "I'll sneak around and handle the one further away."

"Got it," said Quaftil.

The two toms snuck around some piles of crates that had been placed on the docks. Obviously, the Siamese were expecting someone to stop by and pick up a delivery. Those crates managed to keep the two toms from Growltiger's crew hidden as they advanced on the Siamese toms.

Quaftil stopped when he was just a few feet away from his target; Bill Bailey kept advancing towards his.

Once Quaftil's target had his back turned, Quaftil drew a blade from his belt and moved in. He grabbed onto the Siamese tom and covered his mouth with his free paw. Working quickly, he brought the blade up and – ZIP – neatly slit the Siamese tom's throat.

The Siamese guard quickly bled to death. Quaftil gently laid his body on the ground to avoid making any noise.

A little further down the docks, Bill Bailey had done the same thing to the other guard. After they hid the bodies, they returned to the lifeboat to inform Victor.

Victor got out a mirror and used the moon's rays of light to signal to the other lifeboats that they had succeeded.

"Step one, complete," said Growltiger. He leaned over and whispered to the occupants of Lifeboat 3 "Initiate step two."

Lifeboat 3 silently made its way down the river. The occupants of the ship kept their eyes out for any signs of a Siamese boat.

About ten feet away from the opposite side of the docks, they spotted a sampan. It held a crew of three.

Carbucketty parked the lifeboat in a shadowed area while George prepared the blue flare. It would probably help if you knew how the lifeboats were built to get an idea of this next bit: They were approximately ten feet long and four feet wide with a two-foot tall rectangular-shaped room in the center. That room was where all the lifeboats' functions were carried out, as well as where rations and supplies were kept.

George hid on the side of the ship that was not facing the sampan. Then he lit up the blue flare and held it so that only Lifeboat 6 could see it in the distance (If he had done it on the other side, the light would have been visible to the Siamese. And if he had done it inside the room, the Siamese would still have seen the light emanating from inside it).

Tumblebrutus saw the blue light and pointed it out to Growltiger.

"Looks like we better wait," Growltiger notified the others on the lifeboat.

George and Najalim hooked themselves up to the life preserver and carefully lowered themselves into the water. They quietly swam over to the sampan and each drew a knife from his belt. When they reached the side of the ship, they carefully pulled themselves up and peeked over the side. The three Siamese cats did not even notice them. They were playing a game of cards.

Without making a sound, George and Najalim climbed aboard and snuck up on the unsuspecting Siamese.

One of the cats was saying to the others "That's three games in a row I've beaten both of you. Now pay up."

Another one eyed the first and said "How do we know that this deck has not been tampered with?"

The first one seemed to be offended. "Are you questioning my honor?"

The third one, who had his back turned to the docks, said "Well, we would have good reason. You play about as fairly as-"

He never finished his statement. Najalim snuck up behind him and stabbed him in the back.

The cat's two colleagues looked at him in confusion. The first one asked "Well, as fairly as what?"

Najalim slowly rose to his full height behind the third cat and whispered ominously "As us."

The third cat dropped onto his stomach as his colleagues watched, horrified. The two other Siamese cats reached for their blades, but George jumped out from behind Najalim and slashed one of them across the face, killing him.

The last Siamese cat managed to pick up his blade and swing it at George twice, but then Najalim hacked him several times in the side, weakening him severely. George finished him off by stabbing him in the chest.

The two toms smiled at their work and George quickly lit the red flare and held it up high in the air.

When Growltiger saw it, he announced "Step two, complete. Now it's time for the real action."


	12. The War Begins

Note: There may be a little more M-rated content in this chapter. Let me know if you think it's too graphic to be a T-rating. By the way, I recently discovered something rather remarkable. Did you know that Phyllida Crowley-Smith (the actress that played Victoria in the video version of CATS) gave birth to her son Harley the same year the video version came out? That means she either gave birth to him just shortly before filming began, or she was just a few weeks pregnant when they started filming. Either way, that is just amazing, if you ask me. That girl must have had a body of rubber to have remained that flexible.

Lifeboats 3 and 6 proceeded to the docks. The crews disembarked and came together.

"Now all we have to do is get inside," Growltiger informed his men, "After that, we'll burn the building down."

Everyone else nodded to acknowledge this new part of the plan. The twelve toms walked down the docks until they arrived at the building. There were several more Siamese cats there. In fact, there were at least fifteen of them. Not all were on guard duty; some were just spending time on the docks.

"There's too many of them," Grumbuskin whispered, "We'll never get past them without taking at least one casualty."

"He's right," agreed Victor, "We should probably go around."

"That'll take too much time," said Growltiger, "No, we have to take them all out. But we'll need to distract them."

Suddenly, Tumblebrutus got an idea. He briefly but thoroughly explained it to Growltiger and the others. It involved him walking up there and distracting the Siamese, giving the others the opportunity of surprise. When he was finished, Growltiger grinned and said "That… is brilliant, Tumblebrutus."

"Are you sure it's safe, what with you being alone in it?" inquired Carbucketty.

"Nope," Tumble answered, but without the slightest hint of fear or worry, "We'll just see how it works out."

"Okay, but be careful," George cautioned him.

Tumble nodded and waited while the others hid themselves behind the crates. Then he walked over to the front of the building. When he was dangerously close to the Siamese, he shouted "Hello, boys!"

"Hey!" shouted one of the Siamese cats.

Tumble turned around and ran back down the docks.

"Get him!" shouted another one of the Siamese.

About half the Siamese cats ran after Tumblebrutus. The other half stood their ground at the entrance.

When Tumble was about halfway to shore, he jumped over the side of the docks. The Siamese ran to the spot he jumped from and looked over.

"What the hell?" said one of them, "Where'd he go?"

"He's not down there?" said another.

"No, he's… just gone!" yelled the first one.

"That's impossible," remarked a third party, "There's nothing but water beneath us."

You have probably concluded that Tumblebrutus was really just hanging onto the ledge underneath the docks. If so, you are correct. He waited a few moments and then called out "Now!"

Immediately, his crewmates jumped out of their hiding places and attacked the Siamese. Within moments, there were eight more corpses lying on the docks – all of them Siamese.

Tumblebrutus did a backflip back onto the docks once all the fighting was over.

Carbucketty smirked and said "Good work, Tumble. That was a brilliant strategy."

Tumble modestly shrugged and said "I do what I can."

"Alright, now let's take out the rest of them!" said Growltiger.

The twelve toms charged towards the building, armed to the teeth (Not literally). The remaining Siamese also armed themselves and waited for their foes to approach them.

A small skirmish quickly ensued. Knives clinked loudly, and blood dripped down through the cracks in the docks' wooden planks into the water below.

Tumblebrutus did a series of cartwheels, handsprings, and backflips to avoid being hit by the Siamese weapons. Everyone there was awed by his athletic ability, as well as his flexibility.

At one point, he saw that Victor and George were occupied with fighting two Siamese cats while a third snuck up behind them. Fortunately, they were fighting alongside a short pile of crates. Tumble ran over to the pile, climbed to the top, and pushed one of them off. The third Siamese cat shrieked as the crate landed directly on him, knocking him out instantly.

"Thanks!" Victor and George called out as they fought on.

"Anytime," Tumble smirked as he did some cartwheels away from that spot.

Before long, all the Siamese cats were dead. Growltiger and his eleven crewmembers were all still alive. But Ralpharite had been badly wounded in the process. His paw had almost been cut open.

Quaftil – who turned out to be the _Demagogue_'s medical officer – inspected Ralpharite's paw and told Growltiger "Ralph will live, sir; the damage to his paw is not too great. But I'm afraid he won't be able to scale the wall of the building with it."

"What?" Ralpharite stated in utter disbelief, "You have got to be kidding me."

"Sorry, Ralph, but I'm afraid not," Quaftil shook his head, "No climbing for you tonight."

"But I have to climb up to the roof and gain access through the ventilation shaft," Ralpharite tried to argue, "Are you telling me I can't even do that?"

Everyone's attention was focused on Growltiger. They waited for their captain to answer that question. Eventually, Growltiger sighed reluctantly and replied "Unfortunately, that will have to be the case. Ralph, you're the best climber we have, but I can't let you damage your paw even worse than it already is."

Ralpharite sighed as if he was angry with himself and said "Yes, sir. But what about Tumblebrutus? Do you expect him to just climb the wall and get in there alone?"

Growltiger took longer to answer this question. Finally, he turned to Tumblebrutus and told him "Tumble, it's up to you now. Some of the other toms here can scale walls, but you and Ralph are the only ones I know of that can climb all the way to the top of that building without slipping. I need you to get to the roof, climb inside, and make your way to the front door. Can you do this?"

For the first time that night, Tumblebrutus hesitated. He was willing to do anything Growltiger asked of him, but he was not so comfortable being alone in a building full of his captain's enemies.

However, he did not want to appear weak or cowardly in front of the other members of the crew. Nor did he want to insult or embarrass Growltiger by refusing a direct order. He took a deep breath, looked up at the Bravo Cat, and told him "Yes, sir; I can do this. And I will."

Growltiger smiled down at him and patted him on the back. "I know you will."

The others made their way around the left side of the building. From there, Tumblebrutus bared his claws on all four of his paws and faced the stone wall. He looked to the top. It was a long way, but he put his fear behind him. Tumble approached the wall and placed his claws against it. He slowly started using his claws to climb up, using any hole or crack in the wall to support him.

Before long, Tumble reached the top of the first floor. It took him a little longer to reach the top of the second floor. All that would be left for him to climb up past the third floor and then he'd reach the roof.

_Don't look down._ Tumblebrutus continually thought to himself, _Don't look down. Do not look the hell down._

Finally Tumble reached the top of the building. He grabbed onto the gutter pipe and hoisted himself upward onto the roof.

He took a moment to catch his breath while the others silently cheered for him. Once that was done, he looked around for the ventilation shaft. When he found it, he removed the grate and lowered himself into the shaft.

He quietly made his way down to the first floor through the labyrinth of the vent shaft.

On his way down to the first floor, Tumblebrutus passed by a room where a conversation was taking place.

He heard one person in that room say "We've just received word that Growltiger is bringing together all his allies in preparation for the war. A threat of attack is totally foreseeable."

_A little late for discovering that, _Tumble thought to himself.

"That doesn't matter," said a second voice, which was gruffer, "There are over a hundred of us here. This outpost is safe from any potential threats."

Tumblebrutus stopped moving through the vent to listen in on the conversation.

"But, sir, there are other outposts along the river that are in danger of being assaulted," the first one remarked.

"Do not worry yourself with that," said the second voice, "A few days from now, Growltiger will not dare attack us."

"What do you mean by that?" asked the first voice.

"Genghis informed me that his allies from the South will be arriving very soon," the second voice elucidated, "By then, we will have more than enough units to match up against Growltiger's numbers."

The first voice laughed maliciously and said "And then, we strike?"

The second voice also laughed and responded "Yes, and then we will see just how ready Growltiger is to fight a war. That is; if there's anything left for him to fight us with."

Tumblebrutus did not want to listen to another word. He crawled as quickly as he could to the vent that was located right by the front entrance to the building. He opened the grate and peeked out. There was no one in sight, so Tumble carefully climbed out of the vent and jumped to the ground. From there, he opened the front door.

There, he found the others waiting for him.

"Nice work, Tumble!" said Victor, patting him on the back.

"You did it!" said Grumbuskin.

"You should be proud of yourself," commented Growltiger.

"Sir, before we proceed with taking out the rest of the Siamese in this outpost, there's something I should let you know," Tumblebrutus spoke to Growltiger. He quickly explained what he had overheard in the room upstairs. When he was finished, Growltiger looked as if he had been hit in the face with a two-by-four.

The others were stunned as well, but none so more than Growltiger.

"I had no idea there were over a hundred units in here," Growltiger muttered, "Even with the crew of the _Xanthus _backing us up, there's no way we could capture this fortress without taking heavy losses."

"What now, sir?" asked George.

"We're having a change in the plan," Growltiger announced, "Instead of searching out and killing the Siamese by going from room to room and then burning down the building, we'll skip straight to burning down the building."

He had his crew gather around and listen closely. He told them "This particular outpost specializes in transporting certain chemicals to other outposts along this river. A lot of the chemicals utilize a very flammable gas that some of you may be familiar with – methane gas. A few of the rooms on the first floor contain these chemicals. We will go there and open up a few canisters of methane gas. Within minutes, the entire first floor of this building will be flooded with it. A few minutes after that, the gas will have spread to the second and third floors as well."

"But won't the Siamese notice the gas?" queried George.

"No, don't worry about that," said Najalim, who was the _Demagogue_'s Science Officer, "Methane gas is colorless and odorless. The Siamese won't notice a single thing."

"Exactly," said Growltiger, "And once the methane gas has spread throughout the building, we will ignite it using a few matches. That will be enough to set off an explosion. Any Siamese that live through the explosion would perish in the fire that immediately follows. Everybody got that?"

"Yes, sir," the toms answered as one.

"Then let's do this!" Growltiger spoke out.

The toms quietly made their way down a corridor until they arrived at the rooms Growltiger had specified. As he had predicted, there were dozens of canisters of methane gas in there. After releasing the pressure valves, they let the canisters breathe. Then they headed outside and stood about ten twenty feet away from the building, being sure to leave the door open.

About fifteen minutes later, Growltiger took out a box of matches from his belt and struck one. Then he used that match to light all the other ones while they were still in the pack. He handed the pack to Grumbuskin and told him "Grumbs, you're our best throw. Think you can fling these matches into the building from here?"

Grumbuskin nodded serenely and assured his Captain "Yes, I can, sir."

He turned his attention to the building and focused his attention on the front door. After a few moments of preparation, he brought his arm back and chucked the pack of matches toward the building. The moment they landed inside the building, they ignited the methane gas. That started a chain reaction that ended up setting the entire building on fire. A set of explosions – such as the windows and crates of ammunition inside – went off all over the building.

Inside, the Siamese could be heard screeching in agony as they were burned alive. Tumblebrutus tried to ignore those screams, as they disgusted him. But in a peculiar way, they thrilled him, too.

As the building roared in flames, Growltiger turned to his crew and told them "Gentlemen, our work here is done."

The twelve cats made their way back to the lifeboats. Once they were all on board, they headed back to the _Demagogue_. Just before setting off, Grumbuskin helped himself to a little more catnip. On their way back to the barge, Growltiger took a moment to speak with Tumblebrutus alone.

"Tumblebrutus, you are to be commended for all you have done tonight," Growltiger told him, "We could not have done this without you."

"Thank you, sir," Tumblebrutus responded gratefully, "I'm glad my work is satisfactory."

"'Satisfactory?'" Growltiger scoffed, "Tumblebrutus, keep up all this determination, morale, and hard work, and by the end of next week, I'll make you my boatswain."


	13. Time For A New Strategy

When Tumblebrutus returned home that night, he found that a lot of the members of the Tribe were still awake. Wide awake, in fact. That was very unusual, given the time he returned.

When he stepped into the clearing, he was almost immediately embraced by Jemima.

She took him by surprise. She clung to him as if she was afraid to let go. He looked down and noticed there were a few tears in her eyes. He hugged her back and tried to comfort her, saying "Jem, what's wrong? Is everything alright?"

She looked up and told him "Tumble, I… I was so worried."

He was puzzled by this answer. "What do you mean? What had you worried?"

"About an hour ago, Pouncival and Bombalurina were spending some time together out in the city," she explained, "One moment; they were taking a peaceful walk near the National Army Museum in Chelsea. The next, they heard a loud explosion near the Thames. When they went to investigate, they saw a building by the docks on fire. They came back home and told the rest of us. In fact, if you climb the tallest junk pile high enough, you could see the flames from here."

It did not take Tumblebrutus long to realize that she was describing the very building he had just helped Growltiger destroy. He could understand why such a thing would startle her, but he was uncertain as to why she would be concerned for his safety.

"Why were you worried about me?" he inquired.

"The building was right by the river," she explained, tears still welling up in her eyes, "Your job involves travelling on that river, and when the possibility that you were near the building when it exploded crossed my mind… all I could think about was if you had gotten hurt."

Tumblebrutus almost hated himself at that moment. His emotions were in a peculiar state of flux. Tumble had no problem helping Growltiger assault a Siamese outpost (as long as he did not have to do any of the killing himself), but he felt incredibly guilty for making Jemima worry about him.

He held her close and told her "Shhh… it's alright. Nothing happened to me. I'm here, and I won't ever leave you."

She slowly looked up at him and looked into his eyes. "Do you mean that?"

He nodded and gently wiped the tears out of her eyes. He told her "I'd never do anything I knew to be dangerous. I don't want you to worry about me. I'll always be here for you, Jemima. Always."

Jemima slowly brought a joyful smile onto her face and hugged Tumblebrutus tightly. She kissed him on the cheek and whispered "Tumble, I love you so much."

"I love you, too, Jemmy," he whispered back, kissing her affectionately on the forehead.

The two of them spent about another half-hour together until they decided to get some sleep.

The following night, Macavity was in his office with Cyclops and Mungojerrie. It was the usually time of the week when the three of them discussed rotating the duty and responsibility shifts for the other members of their organization.

Macavity was sitting at his desk with a clipboard in his paws, looking over the tasks his henchcats had been assigned for the past week. Mungojerrie and Cyclops sat in two chairs on the opposite side of the desk.

"I believe that Tyraf has spent enough time working in the garage at night," Macavity thought aloud, "We should probably assign him to a different task. One during the day."

"Hopefully he'll finally get some sleep," remarked Cyclops.

"Oh, don' be too sh'ure abou' th'at, Cy," said Mungojerrie, "Tyraf h'as a bad h'abit of ove'working 'imself."

"Well, I'm going to make sure he gets his rest and does more productive assignments," said Macavity, "I have no use for lethargic or fatigued henchcats."

"So, wh'at shou'd we do?" inquired Mungojerrie.

"We'll transfer him to the afternoon shifts in the spying division," stated Macavity, "That way; he can get more exercise and fresh air."

"An excellent idea, Boss," Cyclops nodded.

Just then, there was a knock on the door to the office. The three toms looked over to the entrance and Macavity called out "Enter."

A female henchcat tentatively entered the room. She was a young grey, black, and white queen, and she was missing two of her whiskers.

"What is it, Lucille?" said Macavity, sitting back in his chair.

"Well, um… sir," she began nervously, "Vielal asked me to… to tell you that… Genghis has returned to port."

"Very well," Macavity spoke, seeming a little more interested, "When does he want to have the meeting tomorrow?"

"Sir, th-that… that's what I… I came to tell you a-about," Lucille continued anxiously, as if she was afraid (In truth, she was), "One of his messengers in-informed us that… he has had to… to…"

"To wh'at?" asked Mungojerrie, getting a little impatient.

Lucille gulped and finished her statement "To reschedule the meeting for next week."

Macavity jumped to his feet and shouted "WHAT?"

Lucille cowered in fear as her boss walked around his desk and approached her quickly.

"What do you mean he has to reschedule!" he demanded.

"I… I don't know. Sir," she answered, "All I do-do know is that G-Genghis has some b-business to attend to before he meets w-with you."

"What sort of business?" said Macavity.

"We can answer that Boss," stated Cyclops.

Macavity turned around and gazed at his top two henchcats. They seemed to know something that he did not know. "How do you mean?"

"You m'ay w'ant ta sit down wh'ile weh expl'ain it," Mungojerrie advised him.

Macavity walked back over to his desk and sat down. Lucille remained standing absolutely still in the center of the room.

"Well, I'm waiting," Macavity said impatiently.

"As you kn'ow, th'ere 'ave been rumors of a wa' between the Si'amese and Growltige' an' h'is allies," Mungojerrie stated.

"That is true," nodded Macavity.

"The fir'st move w'as made las' night," said Mungojerrie.

"Last night, Growltiger and his crew assaulted the Siamese outpost at Chelsea," Cyclops continued, "All the guards were found dead on the docks, and the building itself was destroyed."

"Destroyed?" said Macavity, "How?"

"We be'lieve it w'as a methane expl'osion," replied Mungojerrie, "As fa'r as we know, th'ere w'ere no su'vivors."

"But there had to have been at least a hundred Siamese cats at that outpost," Macavity pointed out.

"Yes, sir," nodded Cyclops, "All reported dead."

"N'ow G'enghis is b'usy plannin' a ret'aliatory str'ike," stated Mungojerrie, "Until he m'akes a counte'attack, he's refusin' to nego'tiate with anyone th'at is not an off'icial ally of h'is."

Macavity sat back in his chair and took a moment to process this information. Then something crossed his mind. He looked Mungojerrie and Cyclops directly in the eye and asked them sternly "When were you planning on sharing this information with me originally?"

"Right after we finished discussing the alterations to the duty roster," replied Cyclops, "Believe us, Mac, we wouldn't hold this information from you."

"That's a wise decision," Macavity grinned evilly as he leaned closer, "You both know how I hate it when my henchcats keep secrets from me, especially my top two men."

"Don't wo'rry a'bout th'at, Mac," Mungojerrie reassured him, "We're fa' from th'at."

No one spoke a word for a few moments. Then Lucille spoke quietly "Umm… sir?"

Macavity looked in her direction and sharply retorted "What?"

"Genghis' messenger wanted you to know that Genghis merely considers the loss of the outpost at Chelsea to be minor setback in his operations," she responded with a little more confidence, "He wanted you to have his assurances that he will meet with you here in exactly one more week."

"Very well," Macavity commented, "Is there anything else?"

"N-no, sir," said Lucille.

"Then you are dismissed," said the Hidden Paw.

Lucille bowed her head slightly (out of respect), turned around, and left the three toms alone.

"W'ell, Lucille m'ay be incomp'etent at eve'ry othe' task she's given," remarked Mungojerrie, "But at leas' even **she** can't sc'rew up me'sage delivery."

"It is rather remarkable how Genghis calls the loss of over one hundred of his soldiers a 'minor' setback," stated Macavity.

"Not a lot of people know this, sir, but Siamese cats are abundant in this country," Cyclops informed his Boss, "You'd be surprised to discover their fertility rate."

"Yeah," Mungojerrie concurred, "Th'at's an inte'resting th'ing a'bout the Si'amese; they breed like Tri'bbles."

"Like what?" Macavity said in confusion.

"Tribbles," repeated Cyclops, "They're sentient balls of fur from some sort of human science-fiction show."

"Fascinating," stated Macavity, though he was not really interested in that. He sat back in his chair and started thinking about the current scenario. After about three minutes, he said "Mungo, Cy, I need your opinions."

"On wh'at?" said Mungojerrie.

"Who would make a better ally: Genghis or Growltiger?" Macavity answered, "Genghis has the better numbers and resources, but Growltiger has the better strategies and skills. Both of them have potential, but we can only side with one of them."

"Th'at's a t'ough dec'ision, Mac," said Mungojerrie, "Both of 'em a're prom'ising."

"This decision is not to be taken lightly," Macavity told his top men, "We cannot just pick one and be done with it."

"So, what are you suggesting, Mac?" queried Cyclops.

"I want you to arrange one more meeting with Growltiger," Macavity instructed his third-in-command, "Try as hard as you can to convince him to join our group. If he refuses, then we shall abandon all hope of having him as an ally."

"With all due respec', Mac, Growltige' h'as ref'used the offe' nine times," Mungojerrie pointed out, "Wh'at m'akes you so sh'ure this time would be ahny diff'erent?"

"Growltiger will need all the allies he can get in this war," Macavity answered, "If we present ourselves as potential allies, he may accept the offer this time around."

"I st'ill th'ink it's a waste of t'ime, but it's wor'th a try," said Mungojerrie.

"I concur with Mungo," said Cyclops, "But if they refuse us for the tenth time, what happens after that?"

"Simple: we will seek an alliance with only Genghis after that," Macavity replied.

Both Mungojerrie and Cyclops found this to be an ideal plan.

"Now, back to the roster…" Macavity told them as he looked back at his clipboard.

A few days later, Genghis' reinforcements arrived from all parts of the city through cover of night. Scores of foreign cats from other parts of the country came to reinforce the infamous Siamese Captain. Some even arrived from other countries in Europe.

Once Genghis was satisfied that enough foreign cats had arrived, he began to plan his counterattack against Growltiger.

The following night, the _Demagogue _was docked at Nine Elms, along with four other vessels that belonged to Growltiger's allies.

The captains of those vessels were assembled with Growltiger in the _Demagogue_'s Meeting Chambers. Tumblebrutus was also there for two reasons: to keep guard and to take careful notes on the conference. A few charts and maps had been spread out across the circular table.

"Genghis has many of his new arrivals garrisoned here, here, and here," said a tall cream and tan tom with a brown muzzle. This was Captain Yalmoc of the _Pilgrim_. The three times he said "here," he pointed out the London districts Fulham, Bayswater, and Camberwell respectively, "I suggest that we avoid passing through those areas until further notice. One of my spies will notify us when they are safe to pass through."

"Agreed," said Growltiger. He turned to a tom with a solid brown and black coat. This was Captain Iramix of the _O'Malley_. Growltiger asked him "What news on those weapons deliveries?"

Iramix pointed out certain areas of the city on the map as he spoke: "We received word that the _Clapham_ and the _Erickson _will be arriving from the East within two days. My crew and I will take my ship and rendezvous with them at Ratcliff. From there, we can safely escort them back here."

Growltiger nodded his head and turned to a brown and orange striped tom. This was Captain Janderif of the _Hark Olufs_. Growltiger asked him "Did the sentinels arrive at their proper destintations?"

Janderif nodded and – using the map – told him "The _Stockwell _and the _Blaze_ dropped them off at several places along the river. We have lookouts from Mortlake to Leamouth."

"Good, that should be more than enough to keep us aware of the Siamese activities," Growltiger remarked. Growltiger looked around at the four captains and told them "We have to be prepared at any times for a Siamese incursion. The _Demagogue _should be the flagship. That part is nonnegotiable."

The others agreed with him; they felt it proper to have Growltiger and his ship leading their fleet in the war against the Siamese. Growltiger turned to a black tom with a tan chest. This was Captain Majibetus of the _Xanthus_. He told him "Majibetus, what word do we have on the rest of the fleet?"

"Everybody on the Thames has responded 'positive' to our hails," Majibetus informed the Bravo Cat, "With the notable exception of Wandsworth. We've gotten no response from anyone there."

"How odd," commented Growltiger, "Something must be delaying their response; it's not usual for any of the crews down there to take this long to respond."

"I'd suggest that we send someone out to investigate tomorrow," stated Janderif.

"That would be the most logical approach," Yalmoc agreed.

"But only if they fail to acknowledge our hails," Iramix commented, "I'm sure they have a good reason for taking this long to answer."

Just then, there was a knock on the door. Growltiger turned to face it and said "Come in."

Grumbuskin entered the room. He had a grave and solemn expression across his face.

"What is it, Grumbuskin?" inquired Growltiger.

"Sir, I think you better take a look at this," Grumbuskin walked across the room and handed him a freshly printed piece of paper.

"What is this?" asked Growltiger as he took the paper.

"Urgent news from the _Conquistador_," replied Grumbuskin, "They've come directly from Wandsworth."

Growltiger studied what was written on the paper for a few moments. Then he slowly turned around to face the other captains.

"What's wrong, Captain?" asked Tumblebrutus.

"We now know why there has been no word from the ships at Wandsworth," Growltiger replied, "The Siamese ambushed them earlier today."

Tumblebrutus and the four captains were shocked to hear this.

"How much damage was done?" asked Majibetus.

"The _Slocum_, the _Narwhal_, and the _Brixton _have all been destroyed," Growltiger answered quietly. "They were three of the four ships docked at Wandsworth. The _Conquistador _was the only survivor. But most of the members of its crew are either dead or wounded."

"So, exactly how many casualties are we talking here?" asked Tumble.

Growltiger looked over the message again, and replied "The number of dead is somewhere in the sixties or seventies. It may even be more than eighty KIA."

No one spoke for over a minute. Everyone in the room decided to have a few moments of silence to respect their late comrades.

Once those moments were over, Growltiger tightened his brow and told the six toms in that room "The Siamese have retaliated. Hence, it is our turn to attack next. I must know this right now – are you gentlemen with me?"

Iramix, Majibetus, Janderif, Yalmoc, Grumbuskin, and Tumblebrutus all replied "Yes, sir!"

"Good, very good," Growltiger grinned at his colleagues.

"Captain, there is one more thing you should know." Grumbuskin quickly added.

"What is that, Grumbs?" inquired the Bravo Cat.

"Another communiqué came through this morning," Grumbuskin reported, "It was from Macavity. He is requesting to speak with you."

"Speak with me directly?" said Growltiger.

"No, he's sending Cyclops," Grumbuskin clarified, "The purpose of the meeting is the same as the previous ones. He wants your response as soon as possible."

Growltiger stood thinking for another few moments. And then he responded "Out of courtesy, I'll meet with Cyclops. But he sure as hell better not waste my time. The last thing we need right now is working with a crime lord during a war."


	14. A Bright Future

Note: I apologize if my story has too many OC characters for you to keep track of them all. I looked back on all my other CATS fanfics, and I have somewhere close to FIFTY OCs! Can you believe that? Fifty OCs! Even though most of them don't even have a lot of personality, I cannot believe I actually have that many. By the way, this chapter may seem like filler, but it will play an important part in several nonconsecutive future chapters. Alright, enough boring you. On with the next chapter!

A short time later, Captains Majibetus, Iramix, Janderif, and Yalmoc returned to their ships. The _O'Malley, _the _Xanthus_,the _Hark Olufs_, the _Pilgrim_, and the _Demagogue _were all staying docked at Nine Elms that night.

For a short time, Grumbuskin, Growltiger, and Tumblebrutus were left alone in the Meeting Chambers.

Growltiger then approached his First Officer and told him "Grumbs, I want you to contact the _Conquistador _and have them rendezvous with us as soon as possible. We'll need to do some transfers in order to compensate them for their crew losses."

"I'll go do it straight away, sir," said Grumbuskin, "Is there anything else you require of me?"

"Yes," nodded the Bravo Cat, "I need you to send out the invitations, as well. We may be in the middle of a war, but I'm not going to deviate from tradition."

Grumbuskin smirked, saying "I'm glad to know that, sir. I think the crew has been especially looking forward to this one."

"Well, they should, seeing as how it's going to take place right here," Growltiger stated.

Tumblebrutus was very confused; he had no idea what Growltiger and his First Officer were talking about.

"Well, I'll get on sending out the invitations right away," said Grumbuskin, "I anticipate that we'll be getting a lot of acknowledgements before long."

"I do, too," said Growltiger, "Dismissed."

Grumbuskin turned to the door of the Meeting Chambers and headed out, leaving Growltiger alone with Tumblebrutus.

"Umm… sir?" said the white and brown tom-kit.

Growltiger turned to him and said "Yes, Tumblebrutus?"

"What was all that about 'sending out invitations?'" inquired Tumble.

"Oh, you must not know yet," said Growltiger, "Four times a year, my seafaring allies and I conduct the Mariners' Gala."

"'The Mariners' Gala?'" repeated Tumblebrutus.

"Yes, it is a formal event held once every season," Growltiger told him, "This season, it will be hosted by me here on the _Demagogue_."

"What exactly happens?" asked Tumble.

"Well, the Captains of the other vessels – along with their senior officers – are invited to come on board the ship that is hosting the gala," explained Growltiger, "For the first half-hour, everyone just socializes with each other. Some have a few drinks or just talk. And then the excitement begins."

"Please, tell me more," Tumblebrutus requested. He was really starting to become interested in what Growltiger was telling him.

Growltiger grinned and continued: "After a half-hour goes by, the really enjoyable session begins. To start it all off, some of the guests choose to sing a song in front of everyone else. The hosts are allowed to sing, too, but the guests typically go first."

"What kind of songs?" asked Tumble.

"Oh, they can totally vary," answered Growltiger, "They can be classic or new-hits; ballads or operas; solo or group; soft or hard; songs about sailing, or not."

Tumblebrutus was really becoming interested in the Mariners' Gala by this point. "What else happens?"

"There is a dancing contest," Growltiger went on, "Freestyle and choreographed types alike participate in this activity. Last year, my crew and I won that contest."

"Really?" Tumblebrutus was impressed to hear that statement, "I did not know this crew had such potential dancing ability."

"Oh, you'd be surprised," Growltiger assured the tom-kit, "The Mariner's Gala brings out the liveliness in all who partake in it."

Tumble nodded his head slowly, taking in everything Growltiger was telling him. He noticed a few similarities this festivity had to one of the Jellicle Tribe's celebrations. He looked up at his Captain and told him "I can somewhat relate. My tribe holds a similar event known as the Jellicle Ball."

He already seemed to catch Growltiger's interest. "I would like to know about this event. What exactly takes place?"

"Well, you see, the Jellicle Ball is also a special occasion, but the Mariners' Gala is held seasonally," Tumblebrutus explained, "Whereas, the Jellicle Ball only occurs annually. It has been regarded as our most important tradition ever since the tribe was founded."

Growltiger nodded and said "Please, tell me more."

"Several members of the Tribe get their own songs," Tumblebrutus explained, "An entity known as the Mystical Divinity of Unashamed Felinity provides background music for us. At one point, we have an all-dancing session – much like you do – and during the middle of that part, there comes the… Mating Dance."

Tumblebrutus spoke those last two words with a sigh. He thought of Jemima when he said them. The idea of doing the Mating Dance with her sprung into his mind, and the thought by itself made him feel excited.

"'Mating Dance?'" repeated Growltiger.

"Yes, that is when a queen who is coming of age that year performs a very sensual dance with a tom who is also coming of age," Tumblebrutus continued, "At the same time, everybody else pairs up around them and actually mates with each other. I know; it's a very odd custom, but it's always been a part of the Jellicle Ball. This is the also first year I'll be able to participate in it."

"Do you already have a partner for that dance?" inquired Growltiger.

"Yes, I do, in fact," said Tumblebrutus proudly, "Her name is Jemima. Until recently, she has only been my best friend. But now we think of each other as future mates. We would call each other mates now if we could, but we're arguably too young for that."

"Oh, I don't know about that," said Growltiger, "Griddlebone and I became mates before either of us came of age. Our parents thought it to be an unwise decision, but our relationship ended up being a successful one."

"I am happy to hear that, sir," stated Tumblebrutus, "But neither my parents nor Jemima's would have us being mates at such a young age."

"That is understandable," nodded Growltiger, "But getting back to what we were first discussing, what else happens in the Jellicle Ball?"

"In addition to all the singing and dancing," Tumblebrutus elucidated, "We also are given an important philosophical lesson in song form by our leader, Old Deuteronomy. However, his presentation is usually too vague to be understood; so he usually has someone interpret his words."

"What sort of philosophies does he preach?" asked Growltiger.

"Last year's lesson was about peace." Tumblebrutus replied. He scoffed and looked down for a moment. Then he looked back up and said "It's odd; the leader of my tribe was emphasizing the important of harmony and goodwill, yet here I am in the middle of a war!"

Growltiger felt it to be rather ironic as well. He could not help but chuckle.

"But I haven't even mentioned the most important part of the Jellicle Ball," Tumblebrutus continued his explanation, "After all the songs about other cats have been sung, Old Deuteronomy makes what is known as 'The Jellicle Choice.' That happens when he picks out a member of the tribe who deserves the most to rise to the Heaviside Lair and be reborn into a new Jellicle life. It is usually someone elderly. I feel that this year it may be my grandfather, Gus. The same Gus you and I were talking about last week."

Growltiger knew full well what Tumblebrutus was referring to. He sighed and said "It would be a shame to lose the greatest theatre cat this city has ever seen, but he would be leaving behind a monumental amount of achievements and accomplishments. He won't be forgotten any time soon."

"He's still acting," Tumblebrutus told the Bravo Cat, "But I feel he is well past his prime. However, he wants to write one final play before he retires. The problem is; he doesn't know what to write it about."

He looked up at his Captain and stood in silence for a few moments. Tumblebrutus then looked quizzically at Growltiger. Then he looked around the room, and around the whole ship itself, as if he were in the midst of formulating an idea.

"Is there something bothering you, Tumble?" inquired Growltiger.

Tumblebrutus shook his head. After a few more moments of meditative silence, he stated "That's it!"

Growltiger looked confused. "What do you mean 'That's it?'"

Tumblebrutus brightly grinned up at his Captain and told him "Sir, think about this: a ship of fearless sailors, covert family relations, and a war on the Thames River... There's friendship, action, some tragedy, some romance, adventure, and much more."

Growltiger was still somewhat apprehensive. "I do not quite understand what you mean. Could you please enlighten me?"

Tumble patiently nodded and explained: "Sir, what if we took the tale of **your **life story and transformed it into a musical?"

Growltiger seemed to lose his breath when he heard this idea. Never before had such a thing ever sounded plausible to him.

"Tumblebrutus, I would be honored if your grandfather were to write a play about me," he told the young tom-kit, "However, I do not want you telling him of that idea just yet. For now, I want your job on this ship to be kept a secret, unless it is absolutely necessary to tell certain individuals."

"Of course, sir," Tumblebrutus agreed, "I won't tell a single soul about my working on board the _Demagogue_ unless I have very good reason."

Growltiger smiled down at Tumblebrutus and rested his paw on his shoulder. He told him "Tumblebrutus, with the possible exception of Grumbuskin, you are perhaps the most responsible cat that has ever served under me. I look forward to introducing you to the other captains at the gala."

Tumblebrutus was surprised to hear those words. "Sir… what do you mean? I though the gala was only for everyone who was a member of a ship's senior staff. I'm not on the senior staff…"

"You mean **yet**," Growltiger corrected him, winking, "I told you that if you keep working as hard as you have been that I would make you my Boatswain. With that title comes the position of Third Officer."

Whatever surprise Tumblebrutus had felt earlier, it all vanquished and was replaced with new surprise. He slowly spoke "Are you… saying that…"

Growltiger merely nodded and told him "If – I'm more inclined to say 'when' – you attain that title, you will have authority over most of this ship's crew. Only Victor, Grumbuskin, and I will outrank you."

Tumblebrutus was at a loss for words. He had never dreamed for a moment that he would rise through the ranks of Growltiger's ship so quickly. "Sir… I don't know what to say."

"Well, you've earned it," Growltiger told him, "You've done more work these past few nights than most other members of my crew get done in a month. I have never seen such aptitude before."

Tumblebrutus could not help but smile; Growltiger really did see his potential. After just standing still and grinning for a while, Tumble looked up at his Captain and told him "I will not let you down, sir. You will not regret your decision to give me more authority when the time comes."

Growltiger continued to smile at the young patched tom. He was obviously pleased with his optimism.

"Shall I get back to work?" asked Tumble.

Growltiger nodded and told him "If that is all, you're dismissed."

Tumblebrutus left the Meeting Chambers and went to the cargo hold to help George transport some surplus crates of ammunition to the _Xanthus_.

Tumblebrutus worked extra hard that night. But at one point, he accidentally cut his front leg when he ran his paw along the sharp edges of a crate. He immediately started bleeding, and George went to his aid.

"Don't worry, I'm alright," he assured the Cargo Manager.

George ignored him and inspected his leg. He told him "You'd better get that think bandaged, otherwise you may lose a lot of blood. Go ahead and get it wrapped up; Farios and I can handle it from here."

Tumblebrutus wanted to argue, but George insisted that he get some treatment for his leg. Finally, Tumble reluctantly agreed.

He went up a few decks and walked until he came to the Infirmary. There Quaftil cleaned his wound and wrapped it in some white medical gauze.

"I'd suggest that you let that thing rest for a little while before getting back to work," the Medical Officer advised him, "Otherwise I'll be seeing you again soon."

"Very well," Tumble agreed.

As Quaftil went back to work in his office, Tumble noticed that he was not alone in the infirmary. Ralpharite was there, too. He was favoring the paw he had wounded a few nights earlier in the assault on the Siamese outpost at Chelsea.

Tumblebrutus thought to himself _Well, as long as I'm here, I may as well start a conversation_.

He went over to Ralpharite and sat next to him. Then he said "Good evening, Ralpharite."

The red and white tabby looked up and grinned. He responded "Good evening, Tumblebrutus."

Tumblebrutus nodded to acknowledge the greeting and looked at Ralpharite's paw. He asked him "How's your paw doing?"

Ralpharite shrugged and replied "My paw feels fine, but the Captain insists that I keep it bandaged until it has fully healed. I'm here right now because Quaftil just changed the bandages, and he insists not to walk on it until about ten minutes have passed so that I won't feel the pain while I walk. I still have about three minutes to go."

"Ah, that makes sense," stated Tumblebrutus, "I hope it doesn't hurt you."

"Oh, no, not at all," Ralpharite assured him, "I've gotten used to it. But within a few days, my paw will have healed and the bandages can come off. Until then, I've been restricted to doing work that involves sitting at a desk. No manual labor."

"I see," Tumblebrutus commented, "What exactly do you do on this ship?"

"I'm the Intelligence Officer," Ralph explained, "I'm responsible for acquiring information on the various happenings of the area. The data I collect helps the rest of the crew formulate strategies and plans for the near and far future."

"Sounds like an important role to play on the ship," Tumblebrutus noted.

"I tend to agree," said Ralpharite, "The Captain trusts me with finding the bulk of this ship's research, as well as keeping up on current events. I do not take my job lightly."

Tumblebrutus sighed lightly and said "Neither do I."

Ralpharite turned to him and said somewhat sternly "You shouldn't, and I know you won't. It would not be professional."

Tumblebrutus was a little confused by those words. "What does that mean?"

"Rumors are very easy to spread around on this ship," Ralpharite enlightened him, "And the rumor's been going around that the Captain's giving you more authority."

Tumblebrutus did not know how to respond to that statement. He tried as best he could: "That… that is merely pending at the moment. He is only considering the idea."

Ralpharite scoffed. "When the Boss gets an idea, he usually sticks to it. And believe me, he'll make you the ship's boatswain before long."

Tumblebrutus was not sure how to interpret Ralpharite's emotions. His voice made it difficult to do so. So he asked him directly "What is your opinion on that matter?"

Ralpharite turned to him slowly and answered "I believe that our Captain does not make incorrect decisions. So, if he decides to give you more authority, I will support that choice."

Tumblebrutus was expecting a much different answer from the one he just received. "Are you serious?"

"Quite," said Ralpharite, "And you'll find that my thoughts are shared by much of the crew. You may be younger than the rest of us, but if the Boss believes you have the right stuff to make the senior staff – and if you do – then we will not protest."

Tumblebrutus was relieved to hear this answer. "Ralph… may I call you that?"

"Of course."

"Alright. Ralph, I assure you that if the Captain decides to give me more authority, I will not fail him, you, or the rest of the crew."

Ralpharite grinned and told the young white and brown patched tom "Tumble, that is precisely what I want to hear. But promise me that those are not just words."

"They are more than just words," Tumble sternly remarked, "They are a guarantee."


	15. Eloquence

Tumblebrutus returned home that night exhausted. But he felt very good about himself, like he had gotten a lot of work done.

He met up with Jemima in the clearing. She quickly noticed his bandaged leg. Holding his injured leg, she asked him "Tumble, what happened? Are you alright?"

He was more than prepared to answer this question. He replied "Yes, Jem, I'm alright. I just had a little accident at my job tonight."

"Are you sure?" She was obviously concerned for him. He was grateful for that, but he did not want to go into detail about what happened. "Tumble, that wound looks like it really hurts you. Are you certain that it's not bothering you?"

Tumble told her "Yes, it's okay. I'm fine. I just need to wear this bandage for a couple days. Then my leg will be totally back to normal. That's all, Jem; nothing else is wrong with it."

She smiled, saying "I'm glad. I'd hate to think you got hurt doing what you liked."

"Thanks, I'm actually glad you said that." he smiled back and kissed her warmly. The two of them turned back to the clearing and went to meet up with their friends, who were playing by the oven.

Several members of the Tribe also asked him about his leg; he gave the same response. But when he was alone with Jellylorum, he gave her a different answer. He told her "Tonight we hunted a group of particularly unfriendly rats in an alleyway. At one point, one of them tried to attack me. It made its best attempt to maul my leg. Fortunately, I managed to kill it just in time."

Jellylorum was much harder for Tumblebrutus to lie to than anyone else in the tribe (Mostly because she was his mother, of course). So he needed to provide her with a much better explanation than "I was taking a walk around the city" every night. In order to forestall suspicion from this mother, Tumblebrutus had come up with a carefully thought-out excuse for why he was out so late. A few days earlier, he told his mother that he had joined a cats' hunting club across town. He said that the leader of the club was Bill Bailey. Tumble had chosen Bill Bailey because his mate – Sillabub – turned out to be an old friend of Jellylorum's (even though she was much younger than Jelly), and Bill Bailey had managed to get Sillabub to convince Jellylorum that Tumble was in the club. They never really met face-to-face; they only sent letters across town, but Jellylorum was convinced that her son's story was authentic after reading the letters.

Tumble knew that he could not keep up this lying forever, but for the present, he was going to try to keep it going. He truthfully did not enjoy lying to his mother, but he knew that she would not approve of his serving under Growltiger. He decided to maintain his story about the "hunting" as long as he could.

The next day, a few hours before Tumblebrutus reported back to the _Demagogue_, Cyclops and some of his colleagues paid Growltiger a visit at Nine Elms. The Bravo Cat had sent them his acknowledgment of their request for a meeting, but he planned to keep the meeting concise.

Growltiger spoke with Cyclops alone in the Meeting Chambers. The henchcats who accompanied Cy remained on the bridge.

In the Meeting Chambers, The two authoritative cats stood face-to-face with each other. Both of them were determined to make their points vividly clear at that very spot.

"I feel that you still possess no desire to join our organization," Cyclops began the conversation.

"You are correct," nodded Growltiger, "I do believe that this meeting is a waste of time for both of us."

"My Boss says otherwise," Cyclops countered, "He only wishes to form an alliance between us so that we may expand our reigns on this city. We would both benefit from this type of union."

"That is true," Growltiger agreed, "But who would benefit more?"

"That's irrelevant," Cyclops responded.

"'Irrelevant?'" Growltiger practically shouted, "On the contrary, it's the very reason I am so skeptical. Macavity has no history of sharing advantages equally with any of his allies. Why should we be any different in his eyes?"

This was the very question Cyclops was hoping the Bravo Cat would ask. He answered him "Because you are not just another potential ally. Your domain on this river goes farther than anyone else's. Macavity views you as a valuable asset, Growltiger. If you were to join our group, you would not be a mere henchcat. No, Macavity has told me that he plans to make you his right-hand tom, if not his partner! Your crew would also receive several resources from us to reimburse them for all the trouble they've been through these past several days. If you were to join us, we could make you a rich tom!"

Growltiger took a moment to take all this in. Cyclops' words were tempting, but to him, they were just words; an empty offer. He responded with "Cyclops, I do not want your wealth. I am already a wealthy tom. I already have fame, and just about everything else I could possibly want. That is Macavity's problem: he always wants more. I would have much to give him, but he has nothing of interest to me whatsoever."

Cyclops stared Growltiger in the eye (which was rather simple to do, since both of them only had one eye apiece) and told him "We have power. In addition to me and his other henchcats, Macavity has contacts spread across the city. Not only could your name travel beyond this city, but we would be able to reinforce your numbers, as well. You and I should see that eye-to-eye!"

Growltiger scoffed at the irony in Cyclops' remark, and spoke "I am not comfortable in fighting alongside cats I hardly know. That feeling is shared by my crew and the rest of my allies."

"In case you have not noticed, you are in the middle of a war," Cyclops pointed out, "You are also on the side with fewer numbers. If you were wise, you'd get as many allies on your side as possible."

"And what would happen after the war ends?" Grumbuskin asked rhetorically, "We would be in your debt for coming to our aid. **That **is the main problem. Macavity would demand that we work for him in order to repay this debt. I would no longer be the Captain of this ship; I would just be a figurehead. All the real power would come from Macavity."

Cyclops was starting to become very impatient with Growltiger's stubbornness. He had half a mind to tell Growltiger that Macavity would seek an alliance with Genghis if he refused the offer again. But he decided not to mention that; it just seemed unwise to him.

"I think you need to think about this carefully, Growltiger," Cyclops sharply remarked, "Macavity does not take kindly to being turned down in such a way. He has only tolerated it up until now because you are just as powerful as he is. But this is his final offer. If you refuse us now, you forsake all hope of ever forming a true alliance between your crew and his henchcats."

"Cyclops, let me make an analogy: virtually the only thing you and I have in common is that we only have one eye apiece," Growltiger pointed out, "But even there, we have differences! I am missing my right eye; you are missing your left eye. I wear a patch over the socket; you do not even have the decency to spare everyone that grisly sight."

"I figure it makes me look more intimidating that way," Cyclops remarked, "Aside from that, my mate finds it to be very invigorating."

"That may be, but it still shows how little you and I have in common!" Growltiger yelled, "An alliance between us would never work out! We'd be at each other's throats in an inner power struggle until all hell broke loose! I am not about to put my men in any more danger than they are already in! You'd pose just as much a threat to us as allies as you would if you were our enemies. Now, this meeting is over! You can go back to your Boss and tell him that if he even **hints **an alliance between us that we will cease all trading with him and cut off all friendly ties! Our allies can provide us with whatever we'd lose from the trading, so don't even think about using that against us! It won't work!"

Cyclops stood there, going to incredible lengths to control his rage. He felt a desire to strike Growltiger down right there. But he knew that if he did, he would never leave that ship alive. It would also be unprofessional of him to get killed at a negotiation.

He slowly opened his mouth and said through gritted teeth "Very well. If that is what you wish, we shall not bother you again."

Growltiger nodded and went to the door. He opened it and gestured for the one-eyed henchcat to leave. Cyclops glared at Growltiger and stomped out of the Meeting Chambers. He met up with his colleagues and together they quickly left the _Demagogue_.

When the henchcats returned to the warehouse, Cyclops went to inform Macavity of Growltiger's response. He was in his office with Mungojerrie. As Cyclops told Macavity about Growltiger's very straightforward answer to their offer, he became full of anger.

"The nerve…" he hissed, "Who does that uncivil brute think he is dealing with? How dare he respond so rudely to such an open invitation!"

"W'ell, th'at's life, Boss," stated Mungojerrie, "The worl'd is full o'f f'ools."

"Indeed," said Cyclops. He deeply sighed, saying "Oh, well, I guess we won't have to negotiate with him again anytime soon."

"That is true," said Macavity, "However, we should have a little faith. I am certain that Genghis will not be so foolish. He will at least listen to reason."

The three toms smirked evilly at each other. They were very confident that they would gain an ally before long. It would mean good news for them, but bad news for others…

Things went on normally for the next few days. During the day, Tumblebrutus spent time with Jemima and the rest of his friends. He made sure to avoid the subject of his job, which was rather simple, seeing as Jemima was the only one of his friends that knew about his job. The three others who knew about it – Coricopat, Tantomile, and Rum Tum Tugger – were also friends to him, but they were not as close as friends he had in his own age group.

Tumble also felt the need to tell Jemima the truth before anyone else. If she was going to be his mate, he had to be honest with her. He knew he had to trust in her. After all, what would a relationship be without trust?

However, he still kept the description of his job vague at best. But one of these days, he was going to tell her the truth.

At night, Tumblebrutus continued to work for Growltiger. He put his best efforts into everything. He delivered messages, transported cargo, filed reports, and accomplished many other tasks in a fraction of the time it would take the average crew member to do them. Before long, he was able to remove the bandages from his front leg.

The war went on, too. For three days, the Siamese and Growltiger's allies fought. Both sides took only minor losses in a few skirmishes, but it was not long before someone was planning to strike again. The only question was when the next major attack would come. This was one thing that went through the minds of every member of the crew of the _Demagogue_.

Finally, the answer arrived. It arrived in the form of cannons and fire.


	16. Valor Delivers

The fifth night after the day the Siamese attacked the harbor at Wandsworth, Growltiger received a message from one of his ally ships. After quickly going over it, he had the ship turned around to head to the East. Then he had his crew assemble on the bridge. No one knew what the assembly was all about, but everyone was able to figure out that it deeply considered them, and that something must be wrong.

Growltiger came out and stood in front of all his crew. Once he was confident that he had their undivided attention, he announced: "Gentlemen, we just received intelligence that the Siamese are planning to seize the harbor at Southwark. Our allied ships stationed there have sent out a request for reinforcements. I have decided to turn the _Demagogue _around and answer this request."

He paused for a moment, and then continued: "The Siamese will be coming in great numbers, and a battle is almost certain to emerge. But it is **imperative **that Southwark is not captured. If the Siamese manage to push us back, they'll be deadly close to Westminster – the heart of our fleet. Your performance tonight will determine the direction the war will take. We may keep it going in our favor, or it may turn hopeless for us. Because I must tell you this right now; if the Siamese reach Westminster, our fleet is doomed."

There was some muttering amongst the crew when they heard these words. Some of them seemed restless or disturbed by the news their Captain just shared with them.

Growltiger looked around at his raffish crew and stated "Gentlemen, I have faith in you. You must use your best effort tonight. If we can hold the Siamese at Southwark, then we just might be able to push them to the East. Then fate will smile upon us and frown upon the Siamese."

There was a brief interval of silence before Grumbuskin went up to his Captain and stood next to him, tall and straight. He declared "The Captain has spoken! To your battle stations at once!"

The crew immediately broke their ranks and moved quickly all over the ship, preparing it for battle. Everybody there busied himself in some way. George distributed armaments and other supplies to the crew. Bill Bailey brought the ships' weapon systems online. Carbucketty and his assistants ran some auxiliary tests on the engines. Victor drew up some battle tactics with the assistance of Grumbuskin. Everyone played his part.

While the rest of the crew was occupied in prepping the _Demagogue _for battle, Tumblebrutus went to Growltiger and asked him "Sir, what do you want me to do?"

Growltiger told him "I want you to standby for the moment. If I find something for you to do, I'll inform you straight away. For now, just stay with me, Grumbuskin, and Victor in the Navigations Room. We'll be instructing the ship from there."

Tumble agreed and followed the Bravo Cat to the Navigations Room. It was the only room on the bridge, but it covered the entire bough of the ship. Once in there, they found Victor and Grumbuskin standing by a large, circular, electronic device. That was the _Demagogue_'s main navigation unit.

Grumbuskin had his box of catnip with him. He had recently refilled the box, so there was plenty to go around. He offered the box to Victor, and the cream and brown tabby nervously accepted it. Evidently, Grumbuskin was not the only one who was anxious about what awaited the crew at Southwark.

"Report!" called Growltiger.

"Captain, we'll be approaching Southwark very soon!" Victor informed him, "We're already picking up multiple ships there already!"

"Identify!" said Growltiger.

"There's too much interference to determine their specific designations, but I'm picking up two different registration signals: our allies, and… the Siamese!" Victor responded, adding an incensed emphasis on those last two words.

Suddenly, a huge earsplitting *BANG* was heard on the outside. Everyone in the navigations room brought their hands up to their ears to cover them.

"What was that?" said Grumbuskin.

"That was a cannon fire, sir!" replied Placondgo, who was sitting at the tactical station.

"Was that us?" inquired Grumbuskin.

"No, sir!" stated Placondgo.

"Pinpoint source!" ordered Growltiger.

Dominev was working at the strategic operations station. He took a few moments to work and replied "Sir, that cannon was fired approximately fifty feet directly in front of us!

Growltiger looked up. "Open the screens!"

There were two large windows at the front of the Navigations Room, but both of them were covered by huge metallic panels. Dominev went to work carrying out Growltiger's order and slowly the panels mechanically slid upward, giving everyone in the room a clear view of the outside.

The sight they were welcomed with was terrible.

Over a dozen ships in the water. Several were on fire in some places, and a few were in danger of sinking. Some were recognized as ships belonging to Growltiger's allies, but the rest bared the mark of the Siamese. The sound of cannon fire filled the air. Some screams could be heard in the distant. Debris and a few lifeless bodies floated on the surface of the water.

As they got closer, one of the ships turned and headed towards the _Demagogue_. Victor quickly identified it as a Siamese ship.

"Sir, they're preparing to fire!" reported Placondgo.

"Are the cannons online?" said Growltiger.

"Yes, sir!" answered Dominev.

"Then bring us hard to port!" Growltiger ordered.

Victor called into a communications line that was connected to the engine room "Carbucketty, hard to port!"

"Hard to port!" Carbucketty confirmed.

The ship started turning counterclockwise in the water. But the Siamese ship did the same thing when it got within fifteen feet of the _Demagogue_.

Soon, the two ships were completely parallel to each other.

"Prepare the starboard cannons!" Growltiger shouted.

"Cannons, active!" Dominev responded.

"Fire!"

A few decks below, some of the ship's crew had manually prepared the cannons for battle. When they received the signal to attack, they set them off.

Five cannonballs sailed through the air and struck the Siamese ship in several key areas. The ship started to sink quickly.

"Target hit!" yelled Placondgo.

After waiting a few moments to allow the crew below to reload the cannons, Growltiger shouted "Fire wave two!"

Dominev sent this order to the decks below. A few seconds later, another round of cannonballs struck the Siamese ship, destroying it.

"Target destroyed!" yelled Placondgo.

"Excellent!" stated Growltiger. "Take us further into the battle!"

The _Demagogue_ slowly advanced towards Southwark. The next fifteen minutes were full of activity all over that area of the river. Some of the Siamese managed to climb aboard a few ships belonging to Growltiger's allies and vice versa. That was when hand-to-hand (or rather, paw-to-paw) contact was needed. Several lifeboats and sampans circled the area, trying to set off explosives on the larger ships. There was so much going on that it was almost impossible to keep track of everything.

Tumblebrutus was overwhelmed by all the activity. He had never been in such a violent situation before, but he quickly learned the gist of it: If he was not attentive and careful, he would not last long. It was not a pleasant policy, but he realized it was the only thing that would keep him alive.

Normally, he would have been scared out of his wits to have been caught up in such a deadly battle. But now, he felt the adrenaline pumping through him. Even if he was just working on the bridge, he felt like he was part of the battle as much as everyone else.

At one point, a rouge cannonball struck the ship on deck four – the same deck as the cannons.

"Hull breach on deck four!" reported Placondgo, "Oh, no. Captain, we've got a fire!"

"Shit," muttered Growltiger, "We need to send someone down there immediately.

"We can't, sir!" called Dominev, "Everyone else is already preoccupied!"

"Preoccupied with what?" Growltiger asked impatiently.

"The Siamese are trying to board the ship!" answered Dominev, "If anyone leaves their post, they might be able to get on board!"

"There has to be someone who can go down there!" Growltiger insisted.

"I'll do it, sir," said Grumbuskin.

"No, I need you and Victor up here on the bridge," said Growltiger, "If we cannot direct the ship, it might fall into chaos!"

"I'll go," offered Tumblebrutus.

Growltiger, Grumbuskin, and Victor turned to him. "You?" they said simultaneously.

"If I don't, we'll be in danger of losing the ship," Tumble pointed out, "Trust me; I can handle this!"

No one spoke a word for a minute. Then Growltiger sighed and said "Go. But be careful."

Tumblebrutus nodded and ran out of the Navigations Room. Some of the Siamese had managed to climb on the bridge, but other members of the crew were fending them off.

Tumble quickly made his way down to deck four and found the room that had been struck by a cannonball. There was still a cannon in that room. It was intact, but the two toms that had been operating it were on the ground. Tumble went over to inspect them. One was dead; the other turned out to be Ralpharite, and he was only unconscious.

Tumblebrutus then turned his attention to the fire. Thinking quickly, he took the tarp in the room that was used to cover the cannonballs and started to snuff the fire out. This was his first time to extinguish such a large fire, but he knew very well how to do it successfully.

When he was finished, he heard screaming in the next room. He went to investigate. A second fire was roaring there, and six members of the crew were trapped on the opposite side.

Tumblebrutus soon noticed a safe path through the fires to the other members of the crew. He ran through the burning room and came to them. All but one was all unconscious. Working quickly, he grabbed onto the conscious tom underneath his armpits and dragged him out of the blazing room to safety. Then he did the same thing with the other five. Once that was finished, he started putting out the flames. They were too large to be extinguished with a mere tarp, but small enough to be contained temporarily. He would handle putting them out later.

Once Tumble got the fires contained, he returned to the room that had a hull breach. He went to the Ralpharite and tried to revive him by patting him on the shoulders. When that did not work, he utilized mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. It was not a pretty concept, but it worked.

Once Ralpharite was back on his feet, he helped Tumblebrutus put out the other fire. But while they were in the process of accomplishing this, three Siamese toms were attempting to climb up the ship and enter through the hole in the wall. Fortunately, Tumble managed to turn around just in time. When he saw the Siamese cats coming aboard, he grabbed a long wooden board on the ground, put the tip of it in the fire, and ran back into the other room. There he waved the fire threatingly at the Siamese boarders. The three of them snarled hostilely at him, but he managed to push two of them back.

The third one was a little more rigid than his colleagues. He drew a long knife from his belt and threatened Tumblebrutus with it. He waved it at him once, but then Tumble ducked and kicked the tom in the chest, causing him to lose his balance and fall out of the hole.

For a moment, Tumblebrutus was worried that he had actually killed the tom. Even though he knew full well that the Siamese tom would have killed him if he had the chance, he had no desire to take another cat's life away. He looked out of the hole towards the ground. Then he saw that all three of the Siamese cats were in their sampan. To his relief, the one that had fallen was not dead; only injured.

Ralpharite managed to extinguish the other fire and came back into the cannon room. He noticed that Tumble was standing next to the hole in the wall and went over to him. There he saw the Siamese sampan in the water below.

Ralpharite asked Tumblebrutus for his makeshift torch. Tumble handed the burning plank of wood over to him and watched him closely. Ralpharite took the torch and eyed the sampan closely. Soon, he spotted an open canister of gasoline in the center of the sampan. Ralph tossed the torch towards the cansiter, and when it landed in the crate of gasoline - *FOOM!*

The outcome was more powerful than a nitroglycerin explosion. All three of the Siamese on that ship quickly burned to death, shrieking in terrible agony before falling into the water.

After securing the hull breach, Ralpharite went back to operating the cannon. Tumblebrutus returned to the bridge.

About twenty minutes later, the battle was over. Growltiger's side had won! The remaining Siamese ships – few though they were – retreated back to the Isle of Dogs.

Growltiger's side had lost a few ships, but most of them were still in fine condition.

As the repairs to the ships went underway, Growltiger received many reports from the crew. One was from Ralpharite. When the Intelligence Officer informed Growltiger of what Tumblebrutus had done, the Bravo Cat was speechless. When the ship was fully repaired, Growltiger took some time to speak with the young patched tom.

"Tumblebrutus, what you have done tonight is beyond exemplary," he told the young tom, "You put out two fires, saved six members of the crew from certain death, pushed back three Siamese boarders, and revived the tom that ended up firing the winning shot of the battle."

"Sir?" Tumblebrutus was confused by that last part.

"The Siamese retreated once their commanding ship was sunk," Growltiger explained, "The cannonball that sunk that ship was fired from the _Demagogue_. According to our sensors, Ralpharite was the one who fired that shot."

Tumblebrutus nodded slowly, taking in everything Growltiger told him.

The Bravo Cat smiled down at the young tom-kit and told him "Intrinsically, it is thanks to you that this battle is a victory for us. For all you have done, I believe it is time."

"Time for what?" queried Tumblebrutus.

"It is time for you to rise up," Growltiger clarified, "For your acts of bravery tonight and everything you have accomplished for this ship, tomorrow night, you shall be rewarded for all your efforts."

Tumblebrutus could not believe what he was being told. He looked up at Growltiger excitedly, and said quietly "Sir, are you saying…"

Growltiger nodded and confirmed his theory, "You shall receive the title of 'The Boatswain.'"


	17. Coming Closer

Tumblebrutus returned home that night later than usual. He was really satisfied with himself for all he had managed to accomplish that night during the Battle of Southwark.

As always, Jemima was there to welcome him back from work. They made their usual rendezvous in the clearing, where they could be alone. They wanted to treasure their time together late at night out in the open.

The two of them sat over by the TSE-1 and nuzzled each other affectionately. They kept their eyes closed and purred until they reached the verge of rapture.

However, something abruptly caught Jemima's attention. A whiff of… sulfur, perhaps? She sniffed the air and tried to find the source of the scent. Then she realized, it was emanating directly off of Tumble's body.

She looked up at Tumblebrutus and asked him "Tumble, what is that smell?"

He was not sure how to answer that question. At the time, he did not smell anything. But when she brought it to his attention, he quickly realized what she was talking about. The scent of the sulfur from the cannons had lingered on him through the night, but he had been too distracted to notice it.

He was not sure how to answer her question, but he tried his best: "I think it's sulfur, Jem. But I have no idea why we're able to smell it here."

Jemima looked at his body and noticed there was a bit black powder on parts of his fur.

Jemima asked him "What is that? Is that… gunpowder?"

It actually was gunpowder. Tumblebrutus figured that he must have come in contact with it when he was with Ralpharite in the cannon room.

He gave Jemima a vague but honest answer: "I'm not quite sure; I've never used it before."

There were two other things Jemima noticed about Tumblebrutus: He had a bruise on his left hip, and there were red marks on his front paws. He had acquired the bruise when he put out the fires on deck 4. The smallest of flames had come into contact with his skin for a fraction of a second, but because of how it was already very hot in that room and Tumble had his mind entirely focused on extinguishing the fires, he had not noticed this. The only trace of the fire was a bruise left on the place it had touched his skin – right above his left hip. When Jemima touched it, it stung. But only for a moment.

As for the red marks, he had acquired them when he had used the wooden plank against the three Siamese boarders. He had gripped it so hard that a few red marks were temporarily left on his paws.

All of these anomalies put together made Jemima very suspicious. Several times before that night, Tumblebrutus had come home late, exhausted, with scratches, sometimes right after a disaster had happened somewhere in the city, and once with a bandaged leg. But now he had come home with four totally new indications: a scent, a strange powder, a bruise caused by a burn, and red marks.

People sometimes referred to Jemima as an ingénue, as she had all the signs of being one: she was young, sweet, sincere, innocent, beautiful, and everybody liked her, but she was also somewhat naïve and ignorant, even in the face of danger. However, she was not ignorant enough to ignore everything she had just found on Tumblebrutus.

She realized that Tumble had never really described what went on at his job, but she had enough evidence to conclude that the work it involved was not as harmless as she originally thought it to be.

She told him sternly "Tumble, I've gone this long without asking you about what goes on at your job on the river. But right now, I think we should talk about it."

Tumblebrutus was surprised to hear her say this. "Why, Jem? What's bothering you?"

She took his paws in hers and replied "I'm concerned for you, Tumble. I want you to know that I love you."

"I do know that," he told her.

"Do you love me?" she asked, only partly rhetorically.

Tumblebrutus was almost offended by that question. But he simply replied "Of course I love you, Jemima. More than that – I adore you."

"Then you can be honest with me," she assured him, "Tumble, I simply wish to know what goes on at night. You can talk to me about it. I promise you I won't tell anyone else what you tell me."

Tumblebrutus thought about Jemima's words for a short time before answering "Alright, Jem. I'll tell you. But I'm holding you to your word that you won't tell another soul about this. And please don't make any rash judgments before I finish explaining everything."

"I won't do either," she assured him.

Tumblebrutus nervously looked around to make sure that they really were alone. No one else was awake at the time, but he was still worried about eavesdroppers. So he and Jemima got into the trunk of the TSE-1, where they could talk privately.

Once he was sure that they were alone, Tumblebrutus told Jemima everything. His explanation included his fateful visit to the docks, his first encounter with Growltiger's crew, Growltiger's offer for him to serve on board the _Demagogue_, his subsequent acceptance of the offer, Griddlebone's coming aboard, the Siamese instigating a war against Growltiger, the destruction of the Siamese outpost at Chelsea, the massacre at Wandsworth, and the Battle of Southwark. All of these events had happened in the span of two weeks.

Jemima's face remained incredulous for most of the explanation as she took in everything Tumblebrutus told her. The only parts that notably disturbed her were the parts when Tumble had been in grave danger.

Once the explanation was finished, Jemima was at a loss for words. She could not believe that her tomfriend had been working for the most feared sailor cat in all of London all this time. But now, everything seemed to make more sense.

"Jemima, I know what you must be feeling right now," Tumblebrutus stated, "I should have told you about this earlier, but please… listen to me. I want you to know that many things we believed about Growltiger are wrong. He can be ruthless and violent, but only towards certain individuals, like cats of foreign race. He's had his own personal conflict with them for a very long time. To almost everyone else, he demonstrates patience, forgiveness, and kindness."

"Even his crew?" she asked him.

Tumble grinned and replied "Especially his crew. He never risks the lives of anyone unless he deems it necessary to do so. In fact, in the thirteen days I've known him, he's only lost one crewmember. And that happened tonight, during the Battle of Southwark."

Knowing this seemed to make Jemima feel a little more at ease. There were still several parts of Tumble's explanation that she was trying to comprehend. She addressed them one at a time.

"Is he really a fan of Gus?" she inquired.

"He certainly sounds like it," Tumble replied, "In fact, he claims it was my grandfather's _The Catastrophic Seas_ that inspired him to enlist in the feline navy."

"But the feline navy does not involve itself in piracy," Jemima pointed out.

"That's true," he agreed, "You see, he once served in the navy, but eventually, he became independent."

Jemima understood this, and then she thought about another part that she felt needed some clarity. She asked Tumble, "When does he plan to find his children?"

"As soon as the war with the Siamese is over," he answered, "Then he'll send someone to Hampton to find them."

"That's good," she said sweetly.

Tumble shrugged and said "He's just doing what any good father would do."

"Why doesn't he just bring them home now?"

"He doesn't want to risk their lives. He's concerned that the Siamese may harm them if they come on board the _Demagogue _now."

"But what about Griddlebone? He let her go aboard."

"That's different. Griddlebone can look after herself; she's kept herself safe from danger for a long time. Their children, on the other hand, have never been in battle. Growltiger's simply taking precautions to assure their safety."

There was a pause for a few moments. Then Jemima queried "Is he really doing business with Macavity?"

"Yes, but in the loosest form of the word 'business,'" Tumblebrutus replied, "Macavity has been trying to get Growltiger to join his group for a long time, but Growltiger has refused him every time he presented the offer. In fact, the last time he refused, he made it clear that he would never accept the offer. A wise decision, if you ask me."

Jemima nodded in agreement.

"What exactly was all that about a 'Mariners' Gala?'" Jemima asked next.

"It's essentially the pirate equivalent of the Jellicle Ball," Tumble explained, "Everyone helps themselves to food and drinks – mostly likely freshly-pillaged – and they have singing and dancing. Based on what Growltiger told me, it is a very exciting event."

"When is it?" she asked.

"In about two weeks," he told her, "Growltiger's hoping that the war will be over by then. That's the funny thing about pirate wars; they never last very long."

An awkward silence began right then. Tumblebrutus had clarified everything Jemima did not fully understand.

"Jem, there is one more thing you should know," he told her. When he was certain that she was listening, he told her "I've been doing a lot of work in the time I've been serving under Growltiger. Especially tonight, when I saved all those toms and drove away the Siamese boarders. For all that I've done, Growltiger's giving me a promotion."

"To what?" Jemima asked, becoming interested in what Tumble had to say.

"The position of the ship's boatswain," he replied, "I'll be in charge of overseeing the deck department and safety of the _Demagogue_'s activities. It will also give me the title of Third Officer."

Jemima did not know what to say. But after a while, she just smiled and said "Tumble, that's great."

"I'm glad you think so," he told her as he smiled back.

"But there is one thing that concerns me," she told him, "Will it mean you'll have to stay on board the _Demagogue _longer every night?"

"Truthfully, I'm not sure about that," he answered, "I'll ask Growltiger about that tomorrow."

"What if it means you will have to stay on longer?" she asked.

"Then I'll work something out," he assured his queenfriend, "But don't worry yourself with that. I'll make sure we get to spend a lot of time together during the day, and some at night."

The two of them continued to smile at each other. Then they kissed passionately on the lips and opened the lid of the trunk. They quietly climbed out, making sure to close the trunk behind them. Then they said goodnight and went to bed. Tumble felt good about himself, since he had finally told Jemima the truth. But he only wanted her to know. Everyone else – including Jellylorum – would have to wait to hear the truth.

The following night, Tumblebrutus left the junkyard a little earlier and arrived at the _Demagogue_. When he climbed aboard via walkway, he discovered that the entire crew was assembled on the bridge. They were standing in two parallel lines at the ship's entrance, and they were all looking at him. It was as if… they had been waiting for him.

The two toms at the front of the columns gestured for him to walk down the aisle they had created. This Tumblebrutus did. He slowly walked, frequently looking at the crew out of the corner of his eye.

At the end of the aisle, he found Growltiger and Grumbuskin waiting for him. They were standing on their hind feet on a movable wooden pedestal. When he reached them, they gestured him to step up and join them. This he did, and he turned around to face the rest of the ship's crew.

There was silence for a short time. Then Growltiger announced: "Gentlemen, last night, we defeated the Siamese at Southwark. Each and every one of you performed magnificently. However, this young tom standing here between me and your First Officer played the biggest role in ensuring our victory. He risked his own life to save the crew, the ship, and help win the battle in the process. In addition to that, before tonight, he played a role in a string of victories and accomplishments we have achieved over the past two weeks. Despite the fact that he is the youngest member of this crew, he has proven to be hardworking, efficient, valiant, loyal and heroic. For those reasons, tonight he is to be recognized for the sailor he is."

There was a pause here as Grumbuskin took out what appeared to be a bronze medal attached to a neckband colored in the pattern of the flag of the United Kingdom. It had a large "B" professionally carved in the center of it.

Grumbuskin turned to Tumble and opened up the neckband. Tumble tentatively leaned his head forward and Grumbuskin slid the neckband over his head.

Once that was finished, Growltiger proclaimed "Tumblebrutus, son of Asparagus, as Captain of the barge _Demagogue_, I hereby give you the position of the ship's boatswain, and promote you to Third Officer."

When Tumblebrutus looked back up, every member of the crew applauded for him. Some were loudly cheering.

At that moment, Tumblebrutus truly felt proud of himself.

Across town, at approximately the same time, a brown Siamese cat was making his way to an abandoned warehouse. He brought along a dozen of his bodyguards, as well as some of his top-ranked men. He normally travelled in fewer numbers, but because the cat he was visiting had a history of turning hostile during negotiations, he was not going to take any chances.

Soon he arrived at the warehouse and came to the back entrance. There he rapped on the door a few times with his front paw.

A lot in the wall opened up, and when the person on the other end saw who it was, she said one word: "Welcome."

Vielal had the garage door opened to let Genghis and his company inside. Once they were all in, the garage was closed again.

Vielal told the Siamese Captain "Macavity is in his office on the second floor. I have been instructed to take you there."

Genghis slowly nodded, saying "Lead the way, my dear."


	18. Things Take A Turn

Genghis and his men followed Vielal through several hallways and up a flight of stairs. Several passing henchcats had stopped to get a good look at the foreign cats. Most of them were wondering what they were doing at the warehouse.

Macavity had only told a few of his henchcats about the meeting with the Siamese; he believed in only sharing the important information with them. Many of the henchcats found this to be a great inconvenience, but they could not argue with their boss's policies.

They soon arrived at the door to Macavity's office. The guards had been notified that Vielal would be escorting the Siamese to their Boss, so they let her in as soon as she approached them.

Macavity was sitting at his desk; Mungojerrie sat to his left and Cyclops sat to his right. Four chairs had been placed in front of the desk for Genghis and his top operatives.

No one spoke for about a minute. Then Macavity broke the silence. He said rather cordially "Welcome to the Warehouse, Genghis."

"Lovely place," the Siamese cat commented.

Mungojerrie and Cyclops scoffed. Macavity ignored them and held his arm out, gesturing at the chairs in front of his desk. He said "Please… take a seat."

Genghis and his top men slowly approached the desk and sat down on the chairs.

Macavity looked up and said "Thank you, Vielal. That will be all."

The tan-striped queen nodded and left the room.

Macavity looked around at all the cats that were in the room, and said "I believe it is a little crowded in here. Perhaps we should clear the room a little? After all, this meeting is not meant for an audience of subordinates."

"Agreed," stated Genghis.

Over the next thirty seconds, Genghis' soldiers and Macavity's guards left the room, subsequently leaving the seven seated cats by themselves.

"Now, the meeting can begin," declared Macavity.

Genghis spoke first: "I know why we are here. It is to discuss a possible alliance between us."

"You are astonishingly sagacious," stated Macavity, "I wish to negotiate with you."

Genghis smirked and leaned back in his chair. Then he said "Why would we want to form an alliance with someone who attempted to ally themselves with our rivals?"

Mungojerrie and Cyclops were both very surprised to hear him say that. Their negotiations with Growltiger had been very secretive, but somehow, he knew of them.

Macavity, remaining neutral in expression, had prepared himself for a question such as the one he had just received. He replied "We were hoping to somehow purge the tension between you and him. Maybe make it work to the advantage of us all."

Genghis and his men all burst out laughing after they heard him say that. This irked Macavity, but he did not let his annoyance show.

"Peace! That must be a joke!" Genghis chortled, "There could be no peace between that butcher and us!"

"Butche'?" said Mungojerrie, "You're not ex'actly mo're mercif'ul than 'im."

"Oh, no?" said Genghis, raising an eyebrow, "My men here say otherwise. Listen to them."

He turned to Nihaar, who said "Several days ago, four of my team and I attempted to assassinate Growltiger. We set up an ambush and planned everything perfectly. But I was the only one who survived the disastrous outcomes."

Macavity chuckled and spoke "How would you have reacted if someone tried to assassinate **your **Boss? If anything, the guilty party in that scenario would be you."

"Growltiger was our only target," said Genghis, "But his men started killing off Nihaar's company once they were discovered."

"One of the cats who accompanied Nihaar was my youngest son, Waelik," said Mouveilyr, a black Siamese tom, "We received word that Growltiger's crew captured him and tortured him for over an hour before making him walk the plank!"

Mouveilyr suddenly started tearing up and covered his eyes with one of his paws. Unbedim – A grey Siamese tom sitting next to him – patted him on the back, saying "He died honorably and without betraying us. For that, we honor his memory."

"But he was just a boy!" said Mouveilyr, "I never should have let him volunteer for that job!"

Genghis told his officer "Because I have no children of my own, Mouveilyr, I cannot possibly imagine the pain you are experiencing. But you still have two more sons who are alive and well. They are fighting for us, too."

Mouveilyr slowly nodded and cleared his eyes, saying "Yes, sir, you are correct. I apologize for demonstrating that moment of weakness."

"It is quite alright," said Macavity, "I sympathize with your situation."

Macavity himself had two sons back at the Jellicle Tribe. But the last time he saw the younger of them, he had tried to kill him. The older one had fought him off.

"What else has Growltiger done to be classified as a butcher?" queried Macavity.

Unbedim spoke next "He and his crew assaulted our outpost at Chelsea. They killed everyone there, leaving no survivors at all."

"Oh, yes," Macavity recalled, "I was informed of that event. I believe it was the very reason why our meeting was delayed in the first place."

"In fact it was," said Unbedim, "We had a hundred men in there, but they all burned to death in a methane explosion. It was not a warning. It was murder. Growltiger is a MASS-MURDERER!"

Macavity remained incredulous, but slowly nodded and said "I suppose you have sufficient evidence to validate your claim that peace between yourselves and Growltiger is impossible."

"Indeed it is," Genghis agreed, "However, I will open up this alliance with you, help you spread your fear and power, and give you the direct services of thirteen of my best soldiers if you do one favor for us."

This offer succeeded in catching Macavity's attention. He told them "I'm listening. What must we do?"

Genghis leaned forward and answered: "Help us destroy Growltiger and his crew."

Macavity was shocked to receive such an answer. Not that the thought of killing disturbed him, but the idea of Genghis' suggestion really bothered him. In his eyes, attacking Growltiger's ship was a suicide mission. It had been a longtime since anyone dared to attack the _Demagogue_. Every crew that ever attacked the ship had ended up sleeping with the fishes.

"That is an appealing offer," stated Macavity, "But I'm not entirely sure about it. I mean, if you want us to fight the war with you, I have no objections. But attacking Growltiger's vessel? That is utter lunacy!"

"I understand your viewpoint, Macavity," Genghis spoke, "But you misunderstand me. We do not need you to help us assault the ship. We just need you to help us plan it."

"What do you mean?" asked Cyclops.

"We need you to spy on the _Demagogue _and acquire any information you can about it," Genghis clarified, "Such information includes – but is not restricted to – layouts, tactics, defenses, weapons. The data you gather would be key parts in our assault."

"Wh'y do we n'eed us ta do th'is?" asked Mungojerrie, "Wh'y not do it you'self?"

"We would," answered Nihaar, "but Growltiger' allies have sentries posted all along the river. They could spot a Siamese on land a quarter-mile away. You, on the other hand, have no Siamese henchcats in your organization. You would be far more inconspicuous."

Macavity saw the logic in this arrangement, but he was still somewhat hesitant. If the spying or the assault failed, his group's involvement could be discovered by Growltiger's crew. Instead of gaining an ally, he would have gained an enemy.

"I will need to think about this," Macavity told the Siamese cats, "I need to ponder all the possibilities before I give you my answer."

Mungojerrie and Cyclops both quietly groaned. They both knew full well that when their Boss went into meditation mode, he generally took far too long to come up with a response.

Genghis answered with "I would advise you to choose wisely, Macavity. That is my only offer."

The meeting ended shortly thereafter. Mungojerrie and Cyclops escorted Genghis and his company to the garage exit. Once that was ended, Mungojerrie whispered to Cyclops "We n'eed ta t'alk. Come with meh to my quart'ers."

Because both of them were off-duty, they could afford to spend some time alone. They met in Mungojerrie's room.

"What is all this about, Mungo?" asked Cyclops.

"Cy, you an' I both kno' th'at Mac's gonna t'ake too long ta respond," Mungo replied, "An' he may not ev'en accept the offe'."

"So, what's your point?" asked the one-eyed cat.

"We 'ave to t'ake matt'ers into our own h'ands," stated Mungo, "If we are eve' gonna exp'and our domain onto t'he rive', we h'ave to take Genghis' offe'."

Cyclops froze and looked over his shoulders, as if he was paranoid. "Mungo, do you realize what you are suggesting?"

"Th'at we w'ork behin' the Boss's back?" Mungo assumed,

"Yes," Cyclops nodded, "Do you have any idea how much trouble we'd get into for doing that? Macavity would probably have us executed!"

"Oh, don't w'orry, Cy," Mungojerrie told him, "We jus' need ta do some covert oper'ations. Then once we've succeeded, we can t'ell Mac about it."

Cyclops shook his head, "He'll want our necks for that."

Mungo shrugged, "Th'at may be 'is initial rea'ction, but once he realizes h'ow much we've done for 'im, I'm sure 'e'll be a li'ttle mo're grateful."

"If we're lucky, he'll let us off with a warning and a death threat or two," Cyclops observed.

"The w'orst 'e could do is de'mote us," stated Mungojerrie, "He m'ay be very str'ict, but he would not k'ill off h'is top two men unl'ess they op'enly defied h'im."

Cyclops sat thinking for a moment, and then said "I guess you're right. This DOES have to be done."

Mungojerrie grinned down at this one-eyed friend and told him "I'm gl'ad you're with meh on th'is."

"What should we do now?" queried Cyclops.

"I'm goin' to try to cont'act Genghis," Mungojerrie explained, "But in orde' to do th'at, we'll n'eed the commun'ications arr'ay. Do you th'ink you can conv'ince whoever's in ch'arge of it to give us acc'ess to it?"

Cyclops thought about this, and responded "I'd have to twist some claws, but it can be done."

"Ve'ry w'ell," said Mungojerrie, "Let meh kno'w once you've succ'eeded."

"I will," Cyclops agreed.

At that moment, the two of them had begun a devious and dangerous plot.

Hours later, Tumblebrutus was returning home. It had been a long night on board the _Demagogue_. His new responsibilities included debriefing, safety inspection, and much more paperwork. But he was still proud of his new title.

As always, Jemima was waiting for him when he got home. She was thrilled to hear about his promotion. He even showed her his medal.

"This is amazing," she whispered as ran her claw along the letter "B" that had been carved into the bronze medallion, "Tumble, I never would have thought that you'd become so important to the ship's crew."

"It's a lot of work," he told her, "But I am proud of all that I've accomplished."

"I'm proud of you, too," she smiled, handing back the medal, "What's going to happen now?"

"I won't have to arrive any earlier or leave any later," he stated, "But I will still have to work as hard as ever. I think I can handle it, though."

"I know you can," she said. "What about the war? Anything of notice going on?"

"Reinforcements from the west recently arrived," he explained, "We have enough ships now to plan one final offense against the Siamese."

"Where would it take place?" she asked.

"At the Isle of Dogs," he answered, "That's where the Siamese fleet is gathering. They are planning an attack themselves, but it will be at least ten days before they'll be ready to strike. However, Growltiger and his allies will be ready in approximately six days."

"Will you be on board during the battle?" she asked.

He sighed and responded "I have to be. What would it say about my character if I did not show?"

Jemima did not argue with him; she knew he was determined to be there for his fellow crewmates. She said "Just promise me one thing."

"Of course. Anything," he said.

"Promise me you won't get yourself killed," she stated.

He smiled down at her and kissed her on the lips. "I won't. I swear to you that I won't."

That was all the assurance Jemima needed.

Things went on in the same routine for the next four days. More ships arrived from both sides of the Thames River. Growltiger's allies arrived from the west; Genghis' arrived from the east.

A string of raids happened along the river. Some minor skirmishes had taken place here and there. It had pushed back Growltiger's projected time to mass the fleet back by two days. But a battle was inevitable.

Tumblebrutus continued to work harder. He was careful not to exhaust himself, lest he wind up feeling fatigued on the job. That would have made him look bad. He still told Jemima about what took place on the river every day. And every day, she prayed to the Everlasting Cat that he would be safe.

The seventh day after Tumblebrutus received his promotion, Mungojerrie and Cyclops had managed to gain private access to the warehouse's communications array. Cyclops' mate, Sharpie, had been on duty that night, and when her mate explained their plan to him, she agreed to help them. So she let them in unauthorized while she was alone.

From there, Mungojerrie and Cyclops did their best to contact Genghis on a secure line.

"Anything?" Cyclops asked as Mungojerrie held the handset up to his ear.

"Nothin'; jus' some sta'tic," he replied, partially annoyed.

"Are you sure this is the right frequency?" inquired Sharpie.

Mungojerrie nodded. "It's goin' thr'ough. Th'ey're not answerin', though."

"I guess we should just be patient and wait it out," stated Sharpie.

After about ten minutes, they finally succeeded in contacting Genghis.

"'Ello?" Mungojerrie said into the microphone, "Can anyone re'ad meh?"

A moment later, a voice spoke out "This is the Siamese frigate _Magpie_ to anonymous contact. Please identify yourself."

"Th'is is Mungoje'hrie, sec'ond-in-comman' of the organ'ization of Maca'vity the Myst'ery Cat," Mungojerrie replied.

"Oh, our fleet's leader has been expecting your call," stated the voice on the other end, "I'll patch you through to him. Hold on a second, please."

"I c'an w'ait," said Mungo.

They were put on hold for about three minutes until Mungojerrie heard a gruff voice say to him "Hello, Mungojerrie, is that you?"

"Yeah, it's meh," answered the tiger-striped tom, "We r'eally need ta t'alk."

"Indeed we do," said Genghis, "What is your response?"

"My Boss is st'ill decidin'," replied Mungo, "But I've dec'ided to go a'head w'ith it."

"What?" Genghis almost shouted into the microphone, "You're doing this without Macavity's consent?"

"Beli'eve meh, Genghis, Mac w'ould approve of it," Mungojerrie calmly stated, "But 'e w'ould t'ake too long to do th'at. I'm jus' doin' what h'e w'ould do in t'ime."

"Alright, then," Genghis agreed, "What is your answer?"

"We'll h'elp you in y'our plan," Mungojerrie responded, "But th'ere is somethin' you must do f'irst if you w'ant a lot of your men to live."

"What would that be?" inquired Genghis.

"I'll t'ell ya, but you're not gonna l'ike it," said Mungojerrie, "In fac', you may conside' it to be outr'ageous."

"Just tell me, and I shall decide that for myself," said Genghis.

Mungojerrie explained his idea to the Siamese tom. His assumption was correct; Genghis did not like the first part. But he was willing to go along with it.

The next day, Tumblebrutus was with Growltiger, Grumbuskin, and a few Captains from their allies' vessels in the Meeting Chambers. They had the maps of London back out, and they were trying to work out an ideal battle strategy for the next day.

"Perhaps if we sent a few units around on land and had them attack the outpost on the other side…" Janderif began.

"No, that won't work," Growltiger interrupted, "There are too many obstacles and hazards we'd have to go through."

"Then I suggest that we send the lifeboats in to create a distraction while the rest of the fleet moves in all at once," stated Yalmoc.

"No, the Siamese sampans outnumber our lifeboats at least three to one," Growltiger protested, "We'd lose at least fifty of our men in the first few minutes alone."

"How about sabotage instead?" suggested Iramix, "If we can smuggle in enough volatile material into their harbor and detonate it, we could cripple at least part of their fleet."

"We'd need at least two hundred and fifty pounds of explosives to take out a fleet as large as the Siamese armada," Growltiger pointed out, "And we'd use up a significant part of our ammunition as well."

"Well, we have to do something, Captain," said Grumbuskin, "We cannot just drive the fleet directly into there. The Siamese fleet is almost twice the size of our own."

"Then I guess it's going to take a miracle for us to win this war," Tumblebrutus commented.

"I think he's right," Majibetus speculated, "But miracles are really hard to come by nowadays."

At that moment, there was a knock on the door. "Enter!" called Growltiger.

Victor came in with a freshly printed piece of paper in one of his paws. He had a wide smile across his face. Tumble had not seen him smile since the war began.

"I'm glad to see you're in a good mood, Victor," stated Growltiger, "Perhaps you'd like to tell us why?"

"Believe me, Captain," Victor told the Bravo Cat as he handed him the paper, "I can assure you that by the time you're finished read this, you'll be smiling, too."

Growltiger read what was printed on the paper. When he was finished, he thought he had misread it. After rereading it twice to make certain of it, Growltiger was in fact smiling.

"What is it, Captain?" asked Tumblebrutus.

Growltiger turned to his colleagues and told them "This is a message that just came from the _Draco_, Genghis' flagship. The Siamese have surrendered."


	19. An Invitation

Everyone stared at Growltiger, gradually taking in what he just told them.

"What?" said Janderif bluntly, "What do you mean?"

"The war is over," Growltiger replied, "The Siamese have decided to end the fighting themselves before any more lives are lost."

"Peculiar," stated Iramix, "An act that is both noble **and **foolish."

"Did they request any conditions?" inquired Yalmoc.

"Yes, they included two," said Growltiger, "They told us they would return our outposts they captured from us if we did the same for them. And they wished for any of their kind who does not have a permanent residence in this city to be allowed to leave it peacefully."

"Those both seem reasonable terms to me," remarked Majibetus, "If it means victory for us, I have no objections."

Everyone else agreed with him.

Growltiger gave Tumblebrutus the privilege of informing the rest of the crew. Everyone was just as surprised as he had been, but they were thrilled that the fighting was finally over.

Tumble looked down at his medal and held it close to him. He realized that this would be the first night where he was a senior officer on a ship in a peaceful era instead of a wartime era.

Later that night, Growltiger had Tumblebrutus and the rest of the senior staff assemble in the Meeting Chambers.

"Gentlemen," Growltiger announced, "This victory would not have been possible without you. The Siamese may have surrendered before the final battle even started, but it is thanks to you that this ship is still floating on the water."

"Well, I'm just glad that the war is over," said Victor.

"And just in time for the Mariners' Gala, too!" George pointed out.

"That's the principal reason why I asked you all to assemble in this room," said Growltiger, "I've been thinking about this policy that only allows the senior staff of every vessel to attend the gala. Due to recent circumstances, I think it would be more appropriate if we allowed the rest of the crew to attend."

"I do not know about that, Captain," Grumbuskin responded, "There would not be enough room on the bridge for the whole crews of even three ships, let alone a few dozen."

"He's right," Tumblebrutus agreed, "But what if we allowed the rest of the crew to celebrate on the docks themselves? They may not be on the ship, but at least they'd be able to join in the festivities."

The others thought about this, and Bill Bailey was the first to respond: "That's actually a pretty good idea, Tumble."

"It's not just pretty good," said Carbucketty, "It's fantastic! We should have thought about that a long time ago!"

"I guess the docks just never seemed ideal for this type of celebration," commented George.

"Well, I'm certain that the crews of the other ships would agree that it is a good idea," said Grumbuskin. "So perhaps we should contact the other captains and offer for the rest of their crews to join us."

"That sounds excellent," Growltiger concurred, "Now, I am going to assign each and every one of you some responsibilities in preparation for the gala itself. I want it to be a memorable night."

"Indeed it shall be," said Grumbuskin.

Growltiger nodded. Then he started giving out his orders: "George, you will handle gathering all the food and drinks for the occasion. Get your paws on the finest merchandise you can find."

"Yes, sir," George nodded.

Growltiger continued: "Carbucketty, you will manage all the musical numbers that the other crews request. Make sure that the music in your inventory is as broad as possible."

"Of course, sir," said the Chief Engineer.

"Bill Bailey," Growltiger addressed the security chief, "You will be in charge of the security measures. I want you to make sure that no one has too much to drink, and I want to avoid any fights. This is supposed to be a gathering to celebrate peace and friendship. Just one scuffle can result in disaster."

"You can count on me, Captain," stated Bill Bailey.

"Victor, I'm appointing you as head of the decorations committee," Growltiger went on, "I want it to be bright and energetic. They need to make everyone feel like they actually did just win a war."

"I'll spare no detail on it, Captain," Victor agreed.

"Now, Grumbuskin, I want you to organize the festivities themselves," Growltiger spoke to his First Officer, "I want more than just a massive karaoke machine and a dancing platform. We should have more manly activities, such as knife-throwing and spearfishing."

"It shall be done, sir," Grumbuskin agreed.

"Alright then, gentlemen," stated Growltiger, "Now, these will be your assignments for the whole of the week. One week from today, the Mariners' Gala will be held at Westminster. I expect each and one of you to make it a memorable event. Is that clear?"

Everyone nodded. Growltiger was satisfied that they understood him. "Good. Dismissed."

Everybody except Tumblebrutus left the room to see to their duties. Growltiger looked down at the young brown and white patched tom and asked him "Is there something on your mind, Tumblebrutus?"

"Yes, Captain," Tumble answered, "Why wasn't I assigned a task? I mean, if I'm on the senior staff, shouldn't I be responsible for some part of the Mariners' Gala?"

"Yes, you should be," Growltiger agreed, "I want you to be on the greeting committee with me. The captains of the other vessels and their senior staffs will arrive one at a time, and you and I will welcome them aboard."

"Alright, that sounds like a decent arrangement," said Tumblebrutus, "I look forward to meeting them all."

"They will be as pleased to meet you in return," Growltiger told his boatswain, "I mean, to have the rank of boatswain at your age – it's never happened before. Even the queens will be impressed."

Tumble paused for a moment. "Queens, sir? What queens?"

Growltiger looked confused momentarily, but then he slapped himself on the forehead and responded "How stupid of me. I forgot to tell you."

"Tell me what?" asked Tumble.

"Every crewmember who attends the Mariners' Gala is allowed to invite one queen to accompany him as his partner for the night," Growltiger clarified. "Bill Bailey and George are both coming with their mates. Carbucketty, Victor, and Grumbuskin all have queenfriends that they are bringing along. After all, what's a celebration without members of the fairer sex?"

"Oh, alright," Tumblebrutus understood him now, "Does that privilege apply to me, sir?"

"Indeed it does," said Growltiger, "If you wish, you may invite a queen to join you."

It did not take Tumblebrutus long to get an idea of who to ask…

When Tumble got home that night, he told Jemima everything that had happened within the past few hours. She was relieved when he told her that the war had come to a swift end.

"I'm really glad you don't have to risk your life again tomorrow," she told him, "I would have been totally on edge until you got home."

"I'm glad, too," he said, "And believe me; the rest of the crew is, as well. My crewmates actually dislike fighting as much as we Jellicles do. But they're willing to use it in self-defense, and to warn their enemies."

"Oh, well, I'm still glad there's no more war," she stated, "What happens now?"

"Things will pretty much go back to normal, I guess," he answered, "However, you remember when I told you about the Mariners' Gala?"

"Yes, I do."

"Well, it's going to take place exactly one week from today. Because it's taking place on board the _Demagogue _this season, Growltiger is having his senior staff spending the week to prepare for it."

"What exactly will go on?" she queried.

"Well, I did tell you there would be a lot of socializing," Tumblebrutus expounded, "You see, there will be a singing session, a dancing competition, and several games meant for adult individuals. There will also be food and drink."

"Sounds like a lot of fun," she commented.

Tumblebrutus smiled at her and said "I'm really glad you said that, Jem."

"Why, Tumble?" she asked.

Tumblebrutus paused here for a moment and took Jemima's front paws in his. He told her "Jemima, I was told by Growltiger that every tom on a ship's senior staff that attends the gala is allowed to invite a queen to come with him. That privilege does apply to me."

Jemima was not sure what Tumblebrutus was implying, but she quickly figured it out on her own.

Tumblebrutus looked Jemima in the eyes and asked graciously "Jemima, would you do me the honor of accompanying me to the Mariners' Gala?"

Jemima did not know how to respond. Just over a week earlier, she had secretly been afraid of Growltiger and his crew. But after everything Tumblebrutus had told her, the idea of actually going on board the _Demagogue _did not sound like a bad idea.

After careful consideration, Jemima looked back into Tumblebrutus' eyes and responded "Tumblebrutus, I would be delighted to go with you."

Tumblebrutus smiled widely and embraced Jemima tightly. She hugged him back and held him close.

"Thank you, Jem," he whispered into her ear.

"You're quite welcome, Tumble," she spoke quietly.

The next seven days went by too slowly for Tumblebrutus. During the day, he would spend a lot of time with Jemima. She wanted to look her nicest for the gala, so she consorted some of her friends for tips on how to maximize her image. When her friends asked her why she needed the tips, she simply told them that it was for a special occasion and nothing more than that.

Tumblebrutus thought she was already perfect the way she was, and she was flattered for that, but she still wanted to ensure that she would look her best.

Tumble and the rest of the senior staff of Growltiger's crew did their best to prepare the _Demagogue _for the gala. They made sure that every last detail was flawless. They took it all seriously, as they wanted to make their guests feel welcome on board the ship.

However, while they were preoccupied with planning all the festivities, across town, a few cats were busy planning the crew's demise.

Two days after the war ended, Sharpie had managed to get Mungojerrie and Cyclops back into the communications array. They also had Flash assisting them.

"So, how exactly will this plan work out?" Flash asked.

"It's s'imple," Mungojerrie explicated, "We'll do some sp'ying on Growlt'ige', accum'ulate info'mation, an' when we 'ave enough, we'll h'and it ove' ta Genghis. Once he's succ'eeded in defeatin' Growltige', he'll open up an all'iance w'ith us."

"Why did you have the Siamese surrender?" queried Sharpie.

"Because our job would be a lot easier that way," explained Cyclops, "The _Demagogue _served as the flagship of Growltiger's fleet, so it rarely went anywhere without another ship alongside it. Now with the war ended, less of Growltiger's allies will spend so much time around the _Demagogue_. Therefore, the ship will be sailing solo more often than not. That makes espionage easier for us, and attacking easier for Genghis and his horde."

"You make it sound so simple, Mungo," stated Sharpie, "But this will take time. I mean, we can't just acquire this information overnight."

"Actually, we technically can," Cyclops corrected his mate.

"How?" said Flash.

"Mungojerrie told me that Macavity has a mole on the _Demagogue_," said Cyclops.

"He does?" said Sharpie, "I didn't know that."

"Nor did I," remarked Flash.

"And, as I just said, I did not either," Cyclops stated, "Macavity only told Mungojerrie about the infiltrator on board Growltiger's ship."

"Well then, who is it, Mungo?" asked Flash, "Who do we have on board that barge?"

"I h'aven't the sl'ightest idea," Mungojerrie flatly responded.

"What?" said Sharpie, "How could you know that one of our own is on board that ship without knowing who it is?"

"Mac onl'ee told meh th'at he h'as a mole on th'at ship," Mungojerrie elucidated, "But 'e neve'h told meh **who** it w'as. He neve' even told meh w'hy. I gu'ess h'e jus' wanted ta be pre'pared."

"I wonder why that is," said Flash.

"I guess he did not want the spy's safety to be compromised," speculated Sharpie.

"That makes sense," agreed Cyclops, "Think about it this way: the fewer people **here** who know about that person; the less likely that person is to be discovered **there**."

"Exactly," Sharpie nodded.

"Now that we've got that all cleared up, please continue, Mungo," requested Flash.

"R'ight," said the tiger-striped tom, "The pl'an is a simp'le one. Ev'ery night, we'll cont'act th'at per'son and re'quest an up'date on th'eir f'indings."

"Wait a minute, Mungo," Sharpie protested, "I can't afford to let you in here every night. Somebody is bound to get suspicious sooner or later."

"We don't need to be in here every night," Cyclops assured her, "On the nights we cannot manage to gain access to this room, you can contact the spy for us. Just make sure you erase the transmission from the machines' logs once you have copied the data onto a portable device."

"Alright, I can easily handle that," Sharpie agreed.

"G'ood, v'ery good," said Mungojerrie, "On those pa'ticula' nights, Flash, Cy, an' I will go d'own by t'he rive' and spy on th'at ship the ol' fashion w'ay: visually. Who knows? May'be we'll le'arn a little extra."

"That's a pretty good plan, Mungo," stated Flash, "But if the Boss finds out we've been doing this type of business behind his back… ugh, I don't even want to think about all the possible repercussions."

"Th'en I gu'ess we'll jus' h'ave to avo'id getting' caught, Fl'ash!" Mungojerrie suggested.

"Good idea," said Cyclops.

The spying officially began that night after all those arrangements were made. An unknown source on the _Demagogue _started providing them with information at least once every night.

Five days later – a week after the war ended – the Mariners' Gala finally arrived. The _Demagogue _was docked at Westminster, waiting to receive its guests.

At the Jellicle Junkyard, Jemima was just finishing with getting ready for the gala. She had taken the time to preen her entire coat until it was smooth and totally clean. Her head fur and whiskers had been lightly combed so that they were perfectly aligned.

When Tumblebrutus came to pick her up, he was amazed by how beautiful she looked. He had taken the time to touch up his coat and facial features as well, but she was absolutely beautiful.

"Are you ready to go?" he asked her.

Jemima turned to the door of her den and smiled at him. She replied "Yes, I'm ready."

The two of them had both told their parents that they were going to see a show down on West End (they felt that this would explain why they had groomed their coats and such). They would actually be passing by a West End theater on the way there, so they figured they would not really be lying.

Once they said goodnight to everyone, they headed off into the city. Every once in a while, Tumblebrutus would look at Jemima out of the corner of his eye and admire her beauty.

Before long, she noticed this. "What?" she asked lightheartedly.

Tumblebrutus waited a moment before answering. He said "Jemima, have you ever read Victor Hugo's _Les Miserables_?"

"Parts of it," she answered, "Why do you ask?"

"Because right now, I think I can imagine how Marius felt when he and Cosette spent time together in her garden." Tumblebrutus explained.

Jemima grinned at his answer. He did in fact have a point; it was essentially the exact same scenario as it was in the novel: A tall boy with a prestigious job and rebellious friends was taking a beautiful, sweet, ingénue-type girl to a place she knew little about, but wanted very much to see with her own eyes.


	20. Reflecting

After walking through the city a ways, Tumblebrutus and Jemima arrived at the Westminster docks. The _Demagogue _was docked right where it always was. That night, it looked much more elaborate and inviting than it normally did. There were strings of flights hanging from the balustrades of the tops deck, and they went all the way across the ship continuously. There was much more lighting on the bridge, and several tables had been set up on the main deck.

Tumble noticed that Jemima was trembling slightly. "Are you nervous?" he asked her.

"A little," she replied, "I've never attended a pirate festival before."

"I know we'll have fun, Jem," he assured her, "It may not be the Jellicle Ball, but it's the next best thing."

"I'm also a little worried that I might embarrass you in front of your crewmates, Tumble" she added in.

Tumblebrutus laughed when he heard that. "Jem, you really should not worry about that. You'd have to try very hard to embarrass me tonight. Besides, I cannot think of any possible way you **could **do such a thing."

"There's always a possibility," she stated.

"I think you're just overreacting a bit," he chuckled, "Nothing will go wrong."

"Alright," she was more assured now, "Are you ready to get down there, then?"

He nodded. "Let's get to it!"

The two young lovers made their way down the marina and soon arrived at the entrance ramp. They carefully climbed aboard, and the first pair they encountered was Growltiger and Griddlebone.

When Growltiger saw his boatswain come aboard, he and his mate went over to him and said "Ah, Tumblebrutus! It is wonderful to have you on board."

"Good evening, Captain," the patched tom smiled, looking up to his Captain. He turned to Jemima and brought her closer. He then made the introductions: "Captain Growltiger, Griddlebone, this is Jemima, my queenfriend. Jemmy, this is my Captain, Lord Growltiger and his mate, Lady Griddlebone."

"Pleasure to make your acquaintance, sir and ma'am," Jemima told the two as she shook paws with them.

"The pleasure is ours, young miss," Griddlebone smiled down at her as they shook paws.

"Welcome aboard, my dear," Growltiger greeted her warmly, "I am glad you could be with us tonight."

"Tumble speaks very highly of you," said Jemima.

"He does?" Growltiger asked rhetorically, looking at Tumblebrutus in a strange way.

Tumble knew what the Bravo Cat was thinking. He turned to Jemima and said "Can I have a moment alone with my Captain for a moment? I need to speak with him."

"Sure," Jemima nodded. She moved about ten feet away and gazed at the scenery.

Tumblebrutus turned to his Captain and asked him "What's on your mind, sir?"

"Tumble, I'm flattered to know that you speak highly of me to your mate," Growltiger answered him, "But just how much **did **you tell her about this ship?"

Tumblebrutus realized what Growltiger was implying. He responded: "Sir, I understand your concerns. I have actually told Jemima everything."

Growltiger was about to open his mouth when Tumble quickly added in "But I only told her because I can entrust her with the information. Jemima is not the type to gossip. She has not told anyone else that I work for you."

Growltiger eased down when he was told this. He asked Tumble sternly "Have **you** told anyone else about your work on this ship?"

"No, just her," Tumblebrutus replied, "I haven't told a single other soul. Oh, and you called her my mate a moment ago. I should let you know that she's not my mate. Not yet. She will be. In fact, if we had it our way, we would be mates already. But our parents still think we're too young."

Griddlebone scoffed and said "That never stopped us, Tumblebrutus. Despite the fact that our parents seriously disapproved of it, Growltiger and I became mates before we came of age. In fact, at the time, we were only a little older than you and Jemima."

Tumble looked up at the Persian queen and grinned. "Do you think Jemima and I could get away with that?"

Griddlebone shrugged and responded "She seems to be a prime example of what a lot of toms look for in queens. Just by observing her now, I can already infer that she is gentle, sweet, and open-minded. And I must also mention her appearance. She is gorgeous."

Tumblebrutus nodded and turned to look at Jemima. "Yes, she is. I could try as hard as possible, and I still think I wouldn't be able to find a single flaw about her."

"How about you bring her back over here?" suggested Griddlebone, "Then the four of us can greet the soon-to-arrive guests together."

"Alright," Tumble walked over to Jemima and gently tapped her on the shoulder. She turned around and smiled at him, "I'll be on the welcoming committee until all the guests have arrived. Care to join me?"

She nodded and walked with him back over to Growltiger and Griddlebone.

About fifteen minutes later, the first ships started to arrive. The frigates _Stockwell_, _Aesop_,_ O'Malley_, and _Conquistador _arrived in the docks of Westminster. The captains and senior officers from each crew came aboard one at a time. The rest of the crews gathered in the docks, where they set up their own activities for the night.

Soon after this, the cruisers _Euripides_, _Pilgrim_,_ Clapham_, _Odysseus_, and _Erickson_ showed up. Each of the captains and their senior officers were welcomed aboard the _Demagogue _in the same manner.

Next, the destroyers _Blaze_, _Xanthus_, _Hark Olufs_, and _Constantine _arrived. They were welcomed justly. Several more vessels arrived after them, and once they were all the guests were accounted for, the Mariners' Gala began.

Carbucketty was managing the sound system of the vessel. He played what sounded like music from an ocean documentary in the background. It was full of bliss and easiness, and it seemed to bring everyone close to an emotional state of rapture.

Jemima and Tumblebrutus stopped by the buffet tables to have a snack. They helped themselves to some raw oysters, some clam chowder, and a few cooked vegetables.

George had taken it upon himself to prepare the food. While Jemima and Tumblebrutus ate near the table, the latter turned to the Cargo Manager and told him "You've really outdone yourself on all of this, George!"

"Thanks, Tumble!" George responded gratefully, "I'm glad you enjoy my cooking."

Bill Bailey and his mate Sillabub soon stopped by the buffet table as well. Once they got their refreshments, they sat down with Tumblebrutus and Jemima. The four of them began a conversation.

"I must say," Tumblebrutus began after he slurped down an oyster, "It's a damn good thing that you're a distant friend of my mother, Sillabub. Otherwise, she probably would never have believed that story I made up about what I do at night."

"Oh, it's always a pleasure to help of friend of Billy's," Sillabub commented, making Bill Bailey blush slightly.

"Sweetheart, you know I don't like it when you call me that," he told her softly but with a slight hint of annoyance.

Usually, Bill Bailey was very rigid and stern, but he was a little more social around his mate.

Tumblebrutus had long ago noticed that he and Bill Bailey looked a lot alike. Now, he noticed the same thing about Jemima and Sillabub. The two queens had numerous physical similarities to each other.

He decided to address that interesting feature. "Hey, Bill, have you ever noticed that you and I look very similar?"

"Actually, I have," replied the security chief, "In fact, one could argue that you're probably looking at an adult version of yourself."

Tumble shrugged, saying "That could be."

"Why do you ask, Tumble?" inquired Bill Bailey.

"Well, I just noticed something," Tumblebrutus explained, "Don't you think the same thing could be said about Jemima and Sillabub?"

Bill Bailey thought about this for a moment. He looked back and forth between his mate and the young queen sitting next to Tumble.

"I think they actually **do **look partly alike," Bill Bailey speculated. He asked Sillabub, "What do you think, dear?"

"Yes, Jemima does somewhat remind me of myself when I was a kit," Sillabub answered, "That strikes me as a remarkable coincidence."

"I agree," stated Jemima, "In fact, I may have a theory for that. I once read somewhere that it is believed that one generation of cats is somewhat reflected into the next generation. I am not sure if that is meant to be taken literally, but if it is, then we would have enough evidence right in front of us to back it up."

"That certainly sounds plausible," Tumblebrutus agreed, "I mean, take my brother Pouncival for a moment. One could argue that Carbucketty over there looks a lot like an adult version of him. Yet they've never met."

"Nor have Sillabub and I ever met until tonight," Jemima added.

"Bill Bailey and I met each other four weeks ago," Tumblebrutus remarked, "But neither of us was aware of the other's existence until that night."

"Four weeks?" said Bill Bailey, "Has it really been that long?"

"It has indeed. It was at these very docks where I first came aboard the ship," Tumblebrutus commented, "Well actually, I would say I was more like 'forced aboard,' since you and Carbucketty brought me on against my will."

"Yeah, we never really apologized to you about how rough we were being," Bill Bailey recalled.

"Oh, that's perfectly alright with me," said Tumble, "There's no need for 'I'm sorry.'"

"Okay, if you insist," said Bill Bailey, "It's still incredible. You've only been here for four weeks, and already you outrank three members of the senior staff: George, Carbucketty, and myself."

"I pretty much surprised myself when that happened," stated Tumblebrutus, "I never expected to receive such a large promotion in such a short amount of time. I mean, I thought things like that only happen in fantasies."

"Apparently not," Jemima said softy, kissing Tumble on the neck, "You must have really earned it to have come this far."

Tumblebrutus smiled at her and kissed her back. "I guess you're right, Jem. But it's still remarkable."

Not long after, Growltiger moved up to the music station and spoke into a microphone "Attention, please. May I have your attention?"

All the talking quickly died down and everyone gave the Bravo Cat his full attention.

Growltiger spoke into the microphone "As some of you are probably aware of, the first half-hour of the gala has gone by. Before we begin the singing contest, I have a few brief announcements to make."

Everyone remained silent as Growltiger continued: "Many of you that stand before me deserve to be here as my guests. Not just because of our tradition, but also because of all you have done. Just last week, we were at war with the Siamese. The war only lasted for a total of seventeen days, and most of our fleet survived, but there are still many individuals in our fleet who did not live through it. I have a list here of all those who perished, and I would like to read you the names."

For the next five minutes, Growltiger read through a long list of all the cats that had died in the line of duty during the war with the Siamese. Every now and then, someone would tear up if they heard a name of a close friend or loved one.

When Growltiger was finished, he said "I would also like to take a brief moment of silence to honor the memories of our late comrades."

Everyone bowed their heads in respect. For a solid ninety seconds, not a single sound was made.

After those ninety seconds, Growltiger smiled and said into the microphone "Now, let us honor our dead by celebrating our victory!"

The somber atmosphere immediately dissolved and everybody cheered loudly.

Note: The next chapter will be up very soon. At least within the next three hours.


	21. The Mariners' Gala

Note: This chapter is not really as long as it seems. About half of it is songs owned by someone else. Also, the Gaelic expressions "A Thiarna, déan trócaire" and "A Chríost, déan trócaire" mean "Lord, have mercy" and "Christ, have mercy" respectively.

Growltiger spoke into the microphone: "Our first song tonight is "A British Tar" from the human opera _HMS Pinafore _by 19th century composers Gilbert and Sullivan. It will be sung by Captains Janderif, Yalmoc, and Iramix of the _Hark Olufs_, the _Pilgrim_, and the _O'Malley_ respectively. The chorus will be provided by the senior staffs from each of those three ships."

Everyone cleared out of the center of the bridge to make room for the people who would sing. They continued to cheer as Captains Iramix, Janderif, and Yalmoc came to the bridge's center, right where everyone could see them. The senior officers from their three ships stood about ten feet behind them.

Music started playing in the background. After a few seconds, the three toms started singing.

Janderif sung in a deep bass voice "A British tar is a soaring soul,

As free as a mountain bird."

Iramix sang in a bass-baritone "His energetic fist…

Yalmoc sang in a regular baritone "Should be ready to resist…"

Janderif finished the verse "A dictatorial word."

They next made a few gestures to correspond with the words they sung.

Yalmoc: "His nose should pant…"

Iramix: "And his lip should curl."

Yalmoc: "His cheeks should flame…"

Iramix: "And his brow should furl."

Yalmoc: "His bosom should heave…"

Iramix: "And his heart should glow."

Janderif: "And his fist be ever ready for a knock-down blow."

The three of them repeated the chorus at a faster pace. The senior staffs from the _Pilgrim_, the _Hark Olufs_, and the _O'Malley _sang in the background with them:

"His nose should pant

and his lip should curl,

His cheeks should flame

and his brow should furl,

His bosom should heave

and his heart should glow,

And his fist be ever ready for a knock-down blow."

There was a pause for a few seconds, and then the three toms continued to sing.

Janderif: "His eyes should flash with an inborn fire,

His brow with scorn be wrung."

Iramix: "He never should bow down…"

Yalmoc: "To a domineering frown…"

Janderif: "Or the tang of a tyrant tongue."

Yalmoc: "His foot should stamp…"

Iramix: "And his throat should growl."

Yalmoc: "His hair should twirl…"

Iramix: "And his face should scowl."

Yalmoc: "His eyes should flash…"

Iramix: "And his breast protrude."

Janderif: "And this should be his customary attitude."

Once again, they repeated the chorus rapidly with their crews backing them up:

"His foot should stamp, and his throat should growl,

His hair should twirl, and his face should scowl;

His eyes should flash, and his breast protrude,

And this should be his customary attitude.

His attitude!

His attitude!

His attituuuuuuuude!"

The music ended at the same moment they stopped singing. Everyone stared cheering loudly as the three toms and their senior officers bowed.

"That was a pretty good one," Tumblebrutus commented.

"I think so, too," said Jemima.

Growltiger went back to the microphone and said "Thank you, Captains! That was very enjoyable. Now, the next up is Captain Majibetus of the _Xanthus_. He will be singing "The Modern Major General Song" from the human opera _Pirates of Penzance_, another work by Gilbert and Sullivan. On a side note, he has requested that everyone who knows the chorus to sing it with him."

Majibetus slowly approached the center of the bridge. He held a small umbrella on his right shoulder, and said in a thick British accent "Good evening, folks. What if I told y'all about me'self?"

Then he sang in a bass voice at a rapid interval:

"I am the very model of a modern Major-General.

I've information vegetable, animal, and mineral.

I know the kings of England, and I quote the fights historical

From Marathon to Waterloo, in order categorical."

There came a brief pause. And then he continued:

"I'm very well acquainted, too, with matters mathematical.

I understand equations, both the simple and quadratical.

About binomial theorem I'm teeming with a lot o' news…

Oooh, a lot o' news…"

Everyone laughed in the background, as they were supposed to do.

Majibetus then finished the verse:

"That's it! With many cheerful facts about the square of the hypotenuse!"

Everyone else sang in the background:

"With many cheerful facts about the square of the hypotenuse!

With many cheerful facts about the square of the hypotenuse!

With many cheerful facts about the square of the hypotepotenuse!"

Majibetus continued singing solo:

"I'm very good at integral and differential calculus.

I know the scientific names of beings animalculous.

In short, in matters vegetable, animal, and mineral,

I am the very model of a modern Major-General."

Everyone else repeated:

"In short, in matters vegetable, animal, and mineral,

He is the very model of a modern Major-General!"

The music played by itself for a moment, and Majibetus started up the second set of verses:

"I know our mythic history, King Arthur's and Sir Caradoc's.

I answer hard acrostics; I've a pretty taste for paradox.

I quote in elegiacs all the crimes of Heliogabalus.

In conics, I can floor peculiarities parabolous.

"I can tell undoubted Raphaels from Gerard Dows and Zoffanies

I know the croaking chorus from the Frogs of Aristophanes

Then I can hum a fugue of which I've heard the music's din afore…

Oooh, din afore…"

More laughs, and then Majiebtus continued:

"That's it! And whistle all the airs from that infernal nonsense Pinafore!"

The chorus backed him up:

"And whistle all the airs from that infernal nonsense Pinafore!

And whistle all the airs from that infernal nonsense Pinafore!

And whistle all the airs from that infernal nonsense Pinapinafore!"

Majibetus sung on:

"Then I can write a washing bill in Babylonic cuneiform

And tell you ev'ry detail of Caractacus's uniform.

In short, in matters vegetable, animal, and mineral,

I am the very model of a modern Major-General."

Chrous:

"In short, in matters vegetable, animal, and mineral,

He is the very model of a modern Major-General!"

The music slowly down at that moment, and Majibetus sang a little more slowly:

"In fact, when I know what is meant by 'mamelon' and 'ravelin,'

When I can tell at sight a Mauser rifle from a javelin,

When such affairs as sorties and surprises I'm more wary at,

And when I know precisely what is meant by 'commissariat,'

"When I have learnt what progress has been made in modern gunnery,

When I know more of tactics than a novice in a nunnery,

In short, when I've a smattering of elemental strategy…

Oooh, strategy…"

One last round of laughter came, and Majibetus went on:

"That's it! You'll say a better Major-General had never sat a gee!"

Chorus:

"You'll say a better Major-General had never sat a gee!

You'll say a better Major-General had never sat a gee!

You'll say a better Major-General had never sat a sat a gee!"

Finally, Majibetus sang the last four verses to that song:

"For my military knowledge, though I'm plucky and adventury,

Has only been brought down to the beginning of the century,

But still, in matters vegetable, animal, and mineral,

I am the very model of a modern Major-General."

Chorus:

"But still, in matters vegetable, animal, and mineral,

He is the very model of a modern Major-General!"

The music went on for another ten seconds and then it stopped. The song seemed to be over, but then the music snapped back on and Majibetus shouted "Alright, one more time!"

Then he sang at a rapid speed:

"In fact, when I know what is meant by 'mamelon' and 'ravelin,'

When I can tell at sight a Mauser rifle from a javelin,

When such affairs as sorties and surprises I'm more wary at,

And when I know precisely what is meant by 'commissariat,'

"When I have learnt what progress has been made in modern gunnery,

When I know more of tactics than a novice in a nunnery,

In short, when I've a smattering of elemental strategy,

You'll say a better Major-General has never rode a horse!"

Chorus:

"You'll say a better Major-General has never rode a horse!

You'll say a better Major-General has never rode a horse!

You'll say a better Major-General has never rode a rode a horse!"

Finally, Majibetus sang the last verse to the song:

"For my military knowledge, though I'm plucky and adventury,

Has only been brought down to the beginning of the century,

But still, in matters vegetable, animal, and mineral,

I am the very model of a modern Major-General."

Chorus:

"But still, in matters vegetable, animal, and mineral,

He is the very model of a modern Major-General!"

Then the song officially ended. Everyone erupted in applause. Majibetus bowed to the applauding audience he had before him.

That's how it went for the next hour and a-half. Before long, everybody who had requested a song from the other ships had gotten to sing. Then it was time for the senior staff of the _Demagogue_ to perform (the crew of the ship hosting the gala always went last).

The _Demagogue_'s crew would be singing three songs. The first one was "Heartland" by the Irish singing group Celtic Thunder. It would be performed by Victor, George, Bill Bailey, Carbucketty, and Grumbuskin.

Grumbuskin had brought his box of catnip with him to the gala. He felt that inhaling a few leaves would sometimes improve performances such as the one he was about to give. However, he decided to put the box to the side for the muscial number. For this song, he wanted to be completely sober. Plus, he thought it would be wise to save the catnip for the dancing number.

The lights were dimmed considerably for this song, and everyone became silent as the music started playing.

The music for this song was much more eerie and mysterious than previous songs. In fact, it almost sounded more like it was from another dimension, or another world.

Grumbuskin began the song. The first part of it was spoken-word. Grumbuskin spoke in a deep, bass voice:  
>"Out of the mists of Time it comes…<br>Older than the oldest rhyme it comes…  
>Coursing through our veins it comes,<br>Pulsing in our brains it comes…  
>Crashing like a thunder roll,<br>Echoing in our very soul…  
>Listen for it… as it comes…<br>The pure and primal sound… of… DRUMS."

A series of drums started playing along with the music. The eeriness died down a little, but it still sounded very mysterious.

Once the heavy drum solo was over, Victor started to sing quietly in his baritone voice:

"Hear our hymn from the heartland…  
>Hear our prayer.<br>Steer us through stormy waters…  
>Lead us there..."<p>

[From that point on, in every set of four verses they sang, they rolled the first two syllables of each verse (except for the second verse; in the second verse, they only rolled the first verse), along with the third syllable of the fourth verse. So it went more like this:

"Heeeeeeeear ouuuuuuuur hymn from the heartland…  
>Heeeeeeeeeeeeeeear our prayer.<br>Steeeeeeeeeeeeeeer uuuuuuuuuus through stormy waters…  
>Leeeeeeead uuuuuuuus therrrrrrrrrrrrrre..."<p>

Try to imagine it like that for the rest of the song. But for the chorus (which will be easy to spot, especially since it is in another language), only the second syllable of each line is rolled.]

The music paused for a moment. Then a noise that sounded like the heartbeat of a giant started playing. Soon, it was joined by the sound of drums. The five toms in the center of the bridge stood perfectly still, but started vocalizing for a bit.

The heartbeat sounds came in intervals of seven at a time, and then they paused for about two seconds.

After the seventh interval, Bill Bailey began singing in a baritone voice:  
>"When the storm is raging<br>And thunder rolls…  
>Deliver us from the ocean,<br>Save our souls."

The music got a little livelier when he finished the last line. The five toms sang the next four lines together in Gaelic:  
>"A Thiarna, déan trócaire.<br>A Chríost, déan trócaire.  
>A Thiarna, déan trócaire.<br>A Chríost, déan trócaire."

The music returned to its original quiet and slow pace. The heartbeat and drum sounds returned. Carbucketty sang next in his tenor voice:

"When the winds are howling,  
>Vigil keep…<br>Shelter us and save us  
>From the deep."<p>

The energetic music returned and the five toms repeated the chorus:  
>"A Thiarna, déan trócaire.<br>A Chríost, déan trócaire.  
>A Thiarna, déan trócaire.<br>A Chríost, déan trócaire."

The slow music came back, as did the heartbeat and drum sounds. George sang in his baritone voice:

"Thank you, Lord, you have brought us  
>Safe to shore…<br>Be our strength and protection  
>Ever more…"<p>

The music returned to its quickened pace again, and the five toms sang:  
>"A Thiarna, déan trócaire.<br>A Chríost, déan trócaire.  
>A Thiarna, déan trócaire.<br>A Chríost, déan trócaire."

This time, the louder music stayed. Grumbuskin sang:

"Déan trócaire.  
>Déan trócaire.<br>A Thiarna…"

George, Bill Bailey, Carbucketty, and Victor joined in:  
>"A Thiarna, déan trócaire.<br>A Chríost, déan trócaire.  
>A Thiarna, déan trócaire.<br>A Chríost, déan trócaire."

The hearbeast sound returned, but then the music got much louder and stronger than before and the five toms finished the song with one last round of the chorus:

"A Thiarna, déan trócaire!  
>A Chríost, déan trócaire!<br>A Thiarna, déan trócaire!  
>A Chríost, déan trócaire!"<p>

The music abruptly stopped there. The audience erupted in applause as the five toms bowed to them.

So far, their song had been the longest at just slightly over six minutes.

The second song sung by the crew of the _Demagogue _was "The Ballad of Billy McCaw"from Growltiger's favorite play, _The Catastrophic Seas_. He and Griddlebone sang it together as a duet.

The two of them stepped into the center of the bridge and waited until music started playing. Growltiger began in his baritone voice:

"Oh, how well I remember the Old Bull and Bush,  
>Where we used to go down of a Saturday night.<br>Where, when anything happened, it come with a rush,  
>For the boss, Mr. Clark, he was very polite.<p>

"A very nice house, from basement to garret.  
>A very nice house. Ah, but it was the parrot-<br>The parrot, the parrot named Billy McCaw  
>That brought all those folks to the bar.<br>Ah! He was the life of the bar.  
>"Of a Saturday night, we was all feeling bright<br>And Lily La Rose - the barmaid that was -  
>She'd say, 'Billy, Billy McCaw!<br>Come give us, come give us a dance on the bar!'  
>And Billy would dance on the bar!<br>And Billy would dance on the bar.  
>And then we'd feel balmy, in each eye a tear.<br>And emotion would make us all order more beer."

Tumblebrutus really enjoyed his Captain's singing. He was almost mesmerized by it, in fact. He especially admired his choice of song.

Growltiger sang on: "Lily, she was a girl what had brains in her head.  
>She wouldn't have nothing, no not that much said.<br>If it come to an argument or a dispute,  
>She'd settle it offhand with the toe of her boot.<br>Or as likely as not put a fist through your eye,  
>Or when we was happy and just a bit dry,<br>Or when we was thirsty and just a bit sad,  
>She would rap on the bar with that corkscrew she had<br>And say…"

Griddlebone joined in with him at that point. She sung in a soprano voice: "'Billy, Billy McCaw!'"

Growltiger: "'Come give us a tune on your pastoral flute!'  
>And Billy'd strike up on his pastoral flute."<p>

Both: "And Billy'd strike up on his pastoral flute."

Growltiger: "And then we'd feel balmy, in each eye a tear.  
>And emotion would make us all order more beer."<p>

Growltiger and Griddlebone sang together: "'Billy, Billy McCaw!  
>Come give us a tune on your moley guitar!'<br>And Billy'd strike up on his moley guitar.  
>And Billy'd strike up on his moley guitar.<br>And then we'd feel balmy, in each eye a tear.  
>And emotion would make us all order more beer."<p>

Everyone else sang softly in the background: "Billy, Billy McCaw!  
>Come give us a tune on your moley guitar."<p>

Growltiger:  
>"Ah! He was the life of the bar…"<p>

The music ended there. Everyone gave Growltiger and Griddlebone the loudest and longest round of applause yet.

Now, it was time for the final song of the night.

The third song that would be sung by the crew of the _Demagogue _was "The Voyage" by Johnny Duhan. The tune followed the rendition performed by George Donaldson. This song was typically sung solo, but that evening, it would be sung as a duet by Jemima and Tumblebrutus.

That was the song that Tumblebrutus had begun to sing at the docks just shortly before he met Growltiger. He and Jemima had decided to sing it together on board the _Demagogue_ that night as the closing song.

Gentle, slow, harmonious music started playing in the background. A violin, an acoustic guitar, and piano could be made out as the three major instruments.

Tumblebrutus and Jemima were standing a few feet apart from each other. Once the music began, Tumble turned to her and began to sing: "I am a sailor, you're my first mate…"

She looked back at him and sang: "We signed on together, we coupled our fate."

Tumblebrutus: "We hauled up our anchor, determined not to fail."  
>Jemima: "For the hearts treasure, together we set sail."<p>

The two of them took a few steps closer to each other as they sang the next set of verses.

Tumblebrutus: "With no maps to guide us we steered our own course."  
>Jemima: "We rode out the storms when the winds were gale force."<br>Tumblebrutus: "We sat out the doldrums in patience, and hope."  
>Jemima: "Working together, we learned how to cope."<p>

By then they were standing approximately a foot away from each other. They reached out their front paws and connected them. Then they sang the next four verses together:

"Life is an ocean, love is a boat…  
>In troubled waters, it keeps us afloat.<br>When we started the voyage, there was just me and you.  
>Now gathered round us, we have our own crew."<p>

The two of them started getting even closer to each other as they went back to singing solo.

Tumblebrutus: "Together we're in this relationship."  
>Jemima: "We built it with care, to last the whole trip."<br>Tumblebrutus: "Our true destination's not marked on any charts."  
>Jemima: "We're navigating for the shores of the heart."<p>

Tumblebrutus lifted Jemima into the air as they sang the last four lines together:

"Life is an ocean and love is a boat.  
>In troubled waters, it keeps us afloat.<br>When we started the voyage, there was just me and you.  
>Now gathered round us, we have our own crew."<p>

Tumble set Jemima back onto her feet and kissed her.

Everyone else erupted in applause. This round was louder and longer than any other round of applause given that night, including the round given to Growltiger and Griddlebone.

Once the applause ended, Growltiger stepped up to the microphone and announced "Thus ends the singing session of the gala. Now it is time for the part you've all been anticipating… the Dance Contest!"

More cheering commenced from the crowd. To win the dancing contest was something of an honor to all who participated in it.

The first crew to perform was the crew of the _Xanthus_. They danced a type of old western dance that dated back to late 19th century America. They kept the music and the style, but they added in a lot of intricate moves that improved the original dance notably.

The crew of the _Erickson _did a type of classic jazz dance. The crew of the _Blaze _did the polka. The crew of the _Odysseus _did a folk dance. The crew of the _Hark Olufs _did soft pop. The crew of the _Euripides _did a swing dance. The crew of the _O'Malley _did hard rock. The crew of the _Constantine _did the rave. The crew of the _Clapham _did tap-dance. The crew of the _Aesop _did a Latin dance. The crew of the _Conquistador _did a disco dance. The crew of the _Pilgrim_ did the Charleston. The crew of the _Stockwell_ did a contra dance.

Those were just some of the many dances performed that night. Finally, it was the _Demagogue_'s turn to perform. The seven toms of that ship's senior staff all brought their female partners into the dance with them. Grumbuskin had decided to just bypass his catnip altogether.

The crew of the _Demagogue_ did a freestyle.

Growltiger and Griddlebone did a type of energetic tango together. Victor and his queenfriend – a grey and black blotched queen named Regina – did some aerobic dance moves that included a series of high kicks and handsprings. George and his mate – an black and calico queen named Harriet – did the waltz, only much more quickly than the standard dance and with a few harder moves every now and then. Bill Bailey and Sillabub did a very lively verison of the mambo. Carbucketty and his queenfriend – a striped queen with a coat composed of two different shades of grey named Diakolni – did the mambo together. Grumbuskin and his queenfriend – a queen with yellowish fur named Linnota – did the rumba. Tumblebrutus and Jemima did the jitterbug together. All of them were very agile and flexible dancers.

After five minutes of all that freestyle dancing, all fourteen cats froze in place. The other crews applauded them when they were finished.

Growltiger breathed in heavily. He was very tired from all that dancing. But he made his way over to the microphone and announced "Great performances tonight from all of you. I haven't seen so such talent at the Mariners' Gala for a long time. Now that the dancing is over, we come to the vote! I want everyone to get in a line right here and pick up a ballot. They will have a list of all the ships alphabetically. I want you each to underline the ship that you believe performed the best tonight. You must vote for someone other your own ship, however. Otherwise your vote will not be counted."

Everyone quickly got into a line and waited to submit their vote. After about fifteen minutes, everyone had voted. For the next ten minutes, some other cats put the ballots into different piles to count out how many votes each ship had received. Some piles were larger than others.

Once all the counting was done, Growltiger was given an envelope. Inside was a piece of paper that had nothing but the name of the winner ship written on it.

As he opened the envelope with his claws, Growltiger declared "And the winner of this season's dance-off contest is…"

He took out the piece of paper and gazed at it for a few seconds. Then he looked up and announced "The crew of the _Xanthus_!"

Majibetus and his crew cheered loudly for themselves while everyone else applauded politely.

Majibetus shook paws with Growltiger and told him "Tonight's competition was tough, Growltiger. You did very well, yourself."

"Thanks, Maj," stated the Bravo Cat, "We did our best."

"Indeed you did," agreed Majibetus.

Once all the excitement died down, Jemima turned to Tumblebrutus and asked him "What's going on now?"

He shrugged and said "I don't know. I guess we just hang out now. Here, I want to show you something."

He led her to the back end of the main deck. No one was there. He had her stand directly by the edge and showed her the whole of the river.

"See how beautiful the river can be at night?" he said, "This is one thing you have to enjoy about this job, Jem."

"It is indeed beautiful, Tumble," she agreed, "It's such a lovely sight."

He smiled at her and said "I'm really glad to be here with you."

"As am I," she replied sweetly.

The two of them looked into each other's eyes and kissed lovingly.

"So are we," a gruff voice interrupted their moment.

The two of them came apart and turned. They saw Farios and three crewmembers of other vessels standing in front of them.

"Good evening, Farios" Tumblebrutus told his crewmate.

"Good evening, 'sir,'" Farios put a mocking emphasis on that last word.

Tumblebrutus could tell that something was not right. "What are you doing here?"

"We were just watching over all the excitement," answered Farios, "And we decided to check out on the old ship."

"Farios, have you forgotten that tonight the bridge is restricted to officers of a senior rank and their guests?" inquired Tumble angrily. "You do not qualify as either."

"Well, excuse me," remarked Farios sarcastically as he took a few steps closer to the two of them.

Tumblebrutus started to detect the scent of whiskey. Now he knew what was wrong; Farios and his three friends were drunk. And even though Farios was talking to Tumble, he was looking at Jemima.

Tumble whispered to his queenfriend "Jemima, get behind me."

She complied quickly.

Farios and his friends chuckled. "How lovely. Why don't you introduce your friend here to us?"

Tumblebrutus glared at his crewmate and told him "Farios, you're drunk. I think you should get some rest tonight. Report to your quarters immediately."

Farios chuckled menacingly. "'Report to my quarters?' That sounds like something my mother would say to me!"

"Farios, that's an order!" yelled Tumblebrutus, "I outrank you. Now do as I say, or you'll be spending the night in the brig instead!"

"You know, I do not really like this whole concept of the Boss favoring you," stated Farios, "I think we need to let you know what it **truly **takes to be a sailor."

Right there, Farios punched Tumblebrutus across the face. Tumble dropped to the ground and held his face while Farios' friends laughed.

Tumble slowly picked himself up off the ground and shot his fist directly at Farios' face. He struck him right on the jawbone.

Farios recoiled, but Tumblebrutus punched him again before he could retaliate. But soon, he was attacked by Farios' three friends. He tried to fight them off, but soon, he was restrained.

"Hold him," Farios ordered his accomplices. He started punching and kicking Tumblebrutus on several places on his body.

Jemima had had enough. She ran up behind Farios and grabbed his arm. "Leave him alone!"

Farios pushed her back. He then turned to her and started walking towards her slowly, with a very sinister look across his face. Jemima slowly backed up away from him.

Tumblebrutus realized what Farios' intentions were. He struggled as hard as he could, but he could not break free.

When Farios got close enough, Jemima kicked him in the shin. He grasped his leg in pain, but then he grabbed onto her and forced her onto the ground.

"You're a beautiful young queen," he told her, eying her closely, "You should go with a tom that deserves you. I'm guessing you've never been with a real tom before."

"No, not her!" Tumblebrutus shouted, "Please, leave her alone! You can beat me; just don't touch her!"

Farios ignored him and tried to force Jemima onto her stomach. She fought back as hard as she could, but he was much stronger.

Just when the situation seemed hopeless, one of the three cats holding Tumble suddenly let him go. He dropped to the ground.

Tumble looked over his shoulder and saw Bill Bailey standing there armed with a spearhead. He had used the flat side of the blade to knock out Farios' friend.

A moment later, Carbucketty, Victor, and George also came to Tumblebrutus' aid. They quickly fought off all three of Farios' friends, and got Farios off of Jemima before he could do her any harm.

Once this was all done, Tumble ran over to Jemima and held her close. She was not crying, but he was close to sobbing.

"A-a-are you alr-r-right?" he quietly asked her.

She nodded slowly, a neutral expression across her face.

"Don't worry about them, Tumble," Victor assured his friend, "We'll throw Farios in the brig for tonight. In fact, the Boss could make it as long as a week when he hears about this. As for the others, we'll report them to their captains. Their captains will decide their punishment."

"Thanks, Victor," Tumble said, gratefulness easily detectable in his voice.

He slowly turned back to Jemima and told her "I-I g-guess we sh-should be l-leaving now."

She nodded her head.

The two young lovers went back to the bough of the ship, informed Growltiger that they were leaving (they would let Victor explain everything), and left the docks.

As they made their way home, Tumblebrutus never once let Jemima go.


	22. Different Types Of Shock

Note: I don't own any of the songs I used in the last chapter, but I have performed all of them on stage. In fact, believe it or not, my rendition of "The Modern Major General's Song" won me first place in my high school's talent show!

Neither Jemima nor Tumblebrutus spoke a single word until they returned home. Once they got there, Tumble embraced her tightly, as if he did not want to let her go. Slowly, a trail of tears fell from his eyes. They were not tears of sadness; they were tears of guilt.

Why did he have to show Jemima the deserted end of the ship? He should have anticipated the possibility that someone at the gala would get drunk, even with the professional security measures Bill Bailey had taken to ensure that that would not happen.

Jemima was still not crying. Her face had retained that same neutral expression ever since they had left the _Demagogue_. She seemed to be containing her shock.

Tumblebrutus stopped sobbing after a few moments and whispered "Jemima, I… I-I-I… I'm s-so sorry."

"It wasn't your fault, Tumble," she responded quietly, "Those drunkards could have gone after anyone."

"But it had to be you!" he raised his voice a little, "Why you? You've never done a wrongful thing in your life! You are so young and sweet, and you are completely innocent. But that drunken bastard almost took your innocence away from you!"

"But he didn't," she pointed out, "I'm not angry at you, Tumble. Only at him. Not just because he tried to… assault me, but because of how he threatened and attacked you."

It occurred to Tumblebrutus right then that there could only be one reason Jemima was not as traumatized as he was about what had almost happened to her on board the _Demagogue_. It was because of her ingénue-like persona. If Jemima were not so ignorant, she would have emerged from that ship scared out of her wits or in a state of accelerated shock. Tumble did not doubt that for a moment.

Tumble was also certain that if any other queen in the junkyard had been in her place, he would definitely be struggling to calm that queen down.

"And to think…" Jemima added, "It was such a lovely night on board that ship."

Tumblebrutus stopped sobbing and composed himself. He slowly nodded and spoke "Indeed it was. I really enjoyed spending the night with you on the ship."

Jemima was obviously trying to change the subject. She looked up her tomfriend and asked him "Tumble, has anyone else challenged your authority recently?"

"No, not to my knowledge," he replied, "At least, not directly. But it seems like it would take some whiskey or other alcoholic beverage for them to be that candid with me. Just look at Farios."

"I hope it stays that way," she told him, "If other members of the crew go against you, I'd be worried for you every night you were on board the _Demagogue_. I just wouldn't be able to handle all that anxiety."

"I still have to go back there, Jem," he told her, "I have a responsibility to my crew and my captain."

"What good would that be when some of the crew dislikes you?" she asked rhetorically.

Tumblebrutus looked down at her and said "Jemima, please don't ask me to choose between you and the _Demagogue_. You know I would always pick you over the ship, but I would still hate to disappoint Growltiger and the others. I would look like a coward."

Jemima did not know how to respond. She stated quietly "Tumble, you'd… pick me over the ship?"

"Of course I would!" he answered, "Sure, it's been my lifelong desire to serve under 'The Terror of the Thames,' but my other lifelong goal is to have you as my mate. The latter has always been a higher priority for me."

Jemima understood him perfectly. "Tumble, you have no idea how happy that makes me. Just for that, I won't ask you to make a choice. I won't have any objections to you continuing to work on board the _Demagogue_. But I myself never want to go back there. Never."

"Alright," he agreed and kissed her, "Thanks, Jemima."

She smiled and told him "It's no problem. I just want you to be able to experience both of your greatest ambitions."

Tumblebrutus kissed her again and told her "We better get some rest."

Jemima concurred. The two of them had had a very exciting night, and it was surprisingly hard for them to get calmed down after all that had happened. But eventually, they were able to go to sleep.

Across town, sinister plans were afoot.

Mungojerrie, Cyclops, Sharpie, and Flash were in the tiger-striped tom's quarters, discussing their latest discovery in their cover operations regarding the _Demagogue_. Mungojerrie and Sharpie had spent the night working in the communications array while Cyclops and Flash had gone down to Westminster to study the barge's activity directly.

"The mole did not send us a lot of information tonight," Sharpie told Cyclops and Flash, "Most likely because of the Mariners' Gala. Any member of the crew who did not attend the gala would probably have looked very questionable in the eyes of his colleagues."

"That's okay," said Cyclops, "We managed to get a lot of information just by going a little good old-fashioned snooping."

"Apparently, the ship's security, engineering, intelligence, and transportation branches make up about two-thirds of the crew," Flash explicated, "The remaining members belong to the medical, navigation, and science divisions. They have a very effective security system, but it can be broken through if one has the numbers and skills to do it."

"G'enghis sh'ould h'ave more th'an enough men," stated Mungojerrie, "And th'ey are almos' liter'ally bred to bo'ard ships."

"That's a good thing," Cyclops commented.

"Indeed, it is," Flash agreed, "But there is one thing about our covert operations that deeply concerns me."

"Wh'at m'ight th'at be?" inquired Mungojerrie.

"You guys do realize that if we fail to acquire enough information about the _Demagogue_, Genghis is going to attack us instead of Growltiger, right?" Flash speculated, "I mean, think about it: we made him surrender the war when his side was in no danger of losing it! If he winds up surrendering for nothing, he'll take his anger out on us."

"Don' wor'ry, Fl'ash," Mungojerrie told his quick friend, "Th'at won't 'appen."

"Why?" asked Flash.

"Bec'ause we won't f'ail," Mungo responded flatly, "Jus' trust meh on th'at."

"Okay, I will," said Flash.

"Did you discover anything else?" Mungo asked.

"Well, there wasn't much we learned about the ship," Cyclops responded, "But there is something about the crew that I think you should know."

"Wh'at?" said Mungo.

"Somewhere near the end of the gala, we spotted two cats standing alone at the back end of the ship," Cyclops told him, "I don't know why, but I had a strange feeling that I saw them somewhere before."

"What did they look like?" Sharpie asked her mate.

"It was too dark to clearly make them out," Cyclops answered, "But I do recall that there was one male and one female. Both of them looked very young. In fact, I think it's safe to say that they were the youngest couple there."

"Well, th'ere are m'any types of cats in th'is city th'at look a'like," Mungo observed, "You prob'ably jus' **thought **you saw th'em somewhe're else. But if ya get th'at notion aga'n, I want you ta think as 'ard as you c'an an' try to remembe' where or if you saw 'em. If they tu'rn out ta be some of Mac's allies, th'en we w'ill be in ser'ious trouble afte' the Siamese att'ack the ship."

"Perhaps one of them was the mole," Flash suggested.

"If that is the case, then we would have no cause for worry," spoke Sharpie, "In the message the mole sent us last night, he told us that he has his own plan to get off the ship when the Siamese attack it. All he requested was that we inform him when the attack will take place."

"Good," said Mungo, "V'ery good. N'ow th'at we've f'inished ou' discussion, let's get some r'est for the n'ight. Tomorro', we'll cont'act the mole aga'n and see wh'at more we c'an learn."

"Or we could just send Genghis the data we've collected so far," offered Cyclops, "Who knows, maybe it's sufficient enough to plan a strategic assault on the _Demagogue_."

"I dou't th'at," Mungojerrie countered, "Much of wh'at we h'ave now could eas'ily be lear'ned simpl'ee by watchin' the bar'ge. We'll n'eed at least another' few d'ays befo'e we h'ave enough intelli'gence gath'ered."

The others agreed to his decision.

The following day, Tumblebrutus and Jemima spent a lot of time together with their friends. They acted as if nothing had happened the previous night. The terrible memory of what Farios tried to do to Jemima remained, but they were able to put it out of their minds.

"How was the show last night, Jem?" Victoria asked her younger sister.

"It was lovely, Vicky," Jemima claimed (they were still going along with what they had told the tribe the previous night), "A human show is quite extravagant, and – I might add – more entertaining than a show a troupe of cats can put on."

"That's probably because human theaters have a much higher budget," remarked Quaxo, "If cat performers had the resources human did, our shows would definitely be much more exciting."

"Well, I still enjoy the shows that my Grandpa Gus and his troupe put on," stated Tumble.

"We all do, Tumble," said Quaxo, "They are rather enjoyable, to say the least."

Hours later, Tumblebrutus headed back to the docks at eight-thirty like he always did. When he got back to Westminster, he saw that the ship had been returned to its usual appearance.

Tumble slowly climbed aboard and went to the navigations room. He usually received his assignments from Growltiger there. But when he got there, he only found Victor working by himself.

"Hey, Victor!" Tumble called out.

The Second Officer turned to him quickly. When he saw who it was, he asked "What is it, Tumble?"

"Where's the Captain?" inquired the boatswain.

"He's in the Officer's Lounge," answered Victor, "He asked me to give you a message."

"What would that be?"

"He wanted to speak with you in that room as soon as you got here. I'd suggest you go there now."

"Is everything alright?" asked Tumblebrutus, worried that he had done something wrong.

"Mostly," Victor replied, "I'm not sure what the details of the meeting are, but the Captain considers it to be a subject of great importance."

"Alright, I'll go talk to him now," Tumblebrutus turned around and left the room. He travelled down a couple decks and went through a few hallways until he arrived at the Officer's Lounge. He knocked on three times and paused.

"Come in," announced Growltiger.

Tumblebrutus opened the door and entered the room. There he saw his Captain sitting on one of the sofas, gazing at the fire.

"You wished to speak with me, sir?" Tumblebrutus queried.

"Yes," Growltiger answered, keeping his eyes focused on the fire, "Take a seat, Tumblebrutus. There is something we must discuss."

Tumble tentatively made his way over to the other couch and sat down. Then, getting an idea of the meeting's main subject, he said "Sir, I'm very sorry about what happened last night. I know I shouldn't have let that situation get out of hand-"

"Tumblebrutus, what happened last night was not your fault," Growltiger interrupted, turning to face his Third Officer, "Farios has been taken care of. He's been charged with insubordination, assaulting a senior officer, and conduct unbecoming to this crew."

"What's his sentence?" inquired Tumblebrutus.

"Under normal circumstances, it would be dismissal from my services," Growltiger responded, "But considering what Farios did that got him charged with 'conduct unbecoming to this crew,' I would even suggest death. However, this is Farios' first offense, so I will let him off with a warning. I still cannot ignore what he has done. But I want you to decide his sentence."

"Me, sir?" said Tumble.

"It's your right, as you were the officer he assaulted," Growltiger told him, "But do not abuse that privilege. Punish him enough so that he'll never do what he did again."

Tumblebrutus sat thinking for a moment. Then he answered "I would recommend that he receive a one-grade demotion and that he be thrown into the brig for a week."

"That sounds suitable," said Growltiger, "But it still seems like little more than a slap on the wrist."

"Alright, ten days, then," stated Tumblebrutus.

"Better," nodded Growltiger.

"Is that all you wanted to talk to me about, sir?" Tumble asked, preparing to stand up.

"No, there is more," Growltiger spoke, gesturing for Tumblebrutus to stay seated.

Tumblebrutus remained in his seat, asking "What else do you need, sir?"

Growltiger shuffled in his seat, and replied "I just need you to listen."

"Listen?" Tumble repeated the last word.

"Yes," Growltiger stood up and walked over to the fireplace. He gazed into it, as if he was in a trance. He watched as the sparks quietly crackled against the burning logs. The smoke in the room was exhausted out of the room via the shaft right above the flue.

Tumblebrutus waited for his Captain to speak again. Soon, he did.

"Do you remember your third night on board this ship?" Growltiger queried, "Specifically, the night when we talked about your grandfather's accomplishments in theatre?"

"As if it were yesterday," Tumblebrutus replied brightly.

"Do you also remember when you asked me about how I came to be involved in the pirating business?" Growltiger continued.

"Yes, I do," Tumble replied, nodding.

"I told you that night that I would save the tale of my background for another day," Growltiger recalled, "I believe that that day has finally come."

Tumblebrutus was surprised. At the time, he had almost forgotten about his wish to know Growltiger's history in the navy. But he found his interest reviving after what his Captain just said.

"How much are you going to tell me about, Captain?" Tumblebrutus inquired.

Growltiger looked over his shoulder at the young tom and uttered one word: "Everything."

Tumblebrutus leaned forward a little and listened closely as his Captain went into a lengthy reminiscence.

Note: The next chapter will be focused entirely on Growltiger's backstory. It will take place in the past.


	23. Rise Of The Terror

Note: I got the inspiration for the following chapter mostly from "The Godfather Part II," specifically the flashback scenes that tell the story of Vito Corleone's rise to power as a mobster in New York City. If you have seen that movie, you may notice a few similarities between it and this chapter.

Five years earlier, Growltiger had made the decision to become involved in the feline navy just shortly after he came of age. Neither his parents nor Griddlebone objected to his decision, so he applied at the first opportunity.

He lived with his parents deep in the city, far from the Thames River. In order to cut down on the distance he would have to travel, he found another place to live. One that was much closer to the shore.

Just before Growltiger applied to the navy, he found a tom living in the streets. This tom was about his age – only a couple months younger – and after striking up a conversation with him, Growltiger discovered that the tom also had a desire for adventure and excitement. Growltiger quickly befriended the cat and took him in.

That cat was Grumbuskin. While the two toms lived together, Growltiger convinced Grumbuskin to join the navy with him.

Both of the toms' applications were approved in a short amount of time, as they were both young and educated. After going through all the basic and complex training, the two of them were assigned to the same ship: the freighter _Ptarmigan_, which was commanded by a scarlet and black tom named Captain Vearhin. Their late friend Baltrow served on board that ship as the First Officer.

Growltiger and Grumbuskin were assigned to the cargo management division. Whenever their senior officers organized trading deals or negotiations, the two of them were in charge of putting everything regarding the business together.

Growltiger remained in contact with Griddlebone, and visited her often. But he never talked about her to Grumbuskin; he just wanted to keep his personal life to himself, for his own reasons.

However, after around five months, Growltiger happened to notice that the amount of supplies the _Ptarmigan _received from negotiations was slightly less than the amount given away. According to all the arrangements he had supervised, the amount they received should have been equal to the amount they gave. He had done some investigating and discovered that the ship was involved in trading operations with Siamese pirates.

Growltiger confronted Commander Baltrow on this matter, demanding to know if any unauthorized trade agreements were going on behind his back. After bringing the matter up a number of times, Baltrow agreed to answer him. The explanation Growltiger received was **very **interesting.

"A long while ago, Captain Veahin was doing some illegal business in the black market," Baltrow had explained, "I don't know how long he had been involved in it, but he was eventually discovered by a Siamese marauder who goes by the name of Joezcam. When Joezcam learned of it, he blackmailed the Captain. Now, the Captain has to give Joezcam twenty percent of the profits he makes from the black market. Otherwise, that Siamese bastard will report him to the navy headquarters."

"Why would the navy believe the word of a known thief?" Growltiger had asked, "Surely he could not be that credible."

"Joezcam could simply file a report anonymously," Baltrow answered, "And if he does, the Captain could lose his title and his prestige. It could damage the crew's reputation as well."

"Well, there has to be something we can do," Growltiger said.

"I don't think so," remarked Baltrow, "Until recently, the percentage of profits Joezcam asked for was just fifteen percent. Now he's moved it up to twenty percent."

"Then we'll find a way to compensate for those losses," Growltiger concluded.

After that, Growltiger, Grumbuskin, and Baltrow had started sabotaging some of their negotiations. By then, the first two had been promoted. They were two of the _Ptarmigan_'s junior officers by that point.

Unfortunately, about five weeks after they began their sabotaging operations, the three of them were exposed by an unknown source. They were subsequently discharged from the navy.

However, all three of them were determined to stay on the river. So they acquired a ship big enough for the three of them to live on, and they operated it just as they did before.

They soon became involved in a string of deals involving the black market as well, and they quickly became rich.

This quickly caught the attention of Joezcam. He monitored the activities of the three toms and discovered that they were involved in some illegal transactions. Like before, he saw an opportunity for profit.

One day, while Growltiger was shopping in the marina, Joezcam met him and told him what he knew about their work.

"What do you intend to do about it?" Growltiger had hostilely asked the tan and grey Siamese tom.

"I will not report you to the navy headquarters," Joezcam had replied, "But only if I benefit from your work, as well."

Growltiger knew what this meant all too well. "How much are we talking about here?"

"Oh, for right now, I'd say about twenty-five percent," Joezcam told him.

"Twenty-five!" Growltiger was astounded, "There is no way we're giving you that much!"

"Oh, alright then," Joezcam had stated calmly. But just a few seconds later, he had lashed out and mangled Growltiger's left ear.

Growltiger dropped to the ground and held his wounded ear in pain while Joezcam told him "Let me put it this way instead: You will meet with me here next week with my profits, or you will never hear from me – or anything else – again. Is that understood?"

Growltiger reluctantly and angrily agreed. He returned to the ship that night to tell the others of his little encounter with the Siamese Captain. By then, Victor had joined their crew. His application to join the feline navy had been declined, but Growltiger and the others saw a lot of potential in him. He was educated like them, and he quickly became a very promising independent sailor.

While they ate dinner on board their ship that evening, they talked about what they should do about this threat.

"Why should we comply with this guy?" Grumbuskin asked, "It's not like he can do whatever the hell he wants."

"Actually, Grumbs, he can!" stated Baltrow, "This tom is a master of his trade. If there is any covert business that goes on along this river, he is sure to involve himself in it."

"And everyone just lets him get away with this?" Victor inquired, disgusted with this bit of information.

"He is very powerful, Victor," Baltrow informed the youngest of the four, "He'll use anything to get what he wants: extortion, threats, violence, and – most of the time – bribery."

"I think I know a way out of this," Growltiger told them.

"What might that be?" asked Grumbuskin.

"I'll make Joezcam an offer he can't refuse," Growltiger answered.

"What?" queried Victor.

"I'll offer him fifteen percent when I go meet him next week," said Growltiger.

"Fifteen percent!" Baltrow was shocked by his friend's audacity, "When Joezcam told you twenty-five percent, he meant it! He does not compromise on these deals. We'd be better off just giving him what he demands for."

"Trust me, Baltrow, he'll take it," Growltiger assured the older tom, "It'll take a little convincing, but he'll take it."

The other three were ultimately satisfied with Growltiger's arrangement.

"I'm rather surprised by how nonchalant you are about this matter, Growltiger," Grumbuskin commented, "Especially considering the fact that it was **your **ear he mauled."

"Oh, don't worry about that," said Growltiger, "I may have lost an ear, but I've gained an opportunity for us to rise in power."

A week later, Grumbuskin met up with Joezcam and presented him with fifteen percent of the profits he had made from the past seven days.

"Why is there not more?" Joezcam demanded, clearly disgusted by the amount he had received.

"Our business is running a little slow at the moment," Growltiger lied, "We just need to make a few arrangements. Then, by next week, we'll have your twenty-five percent."

Joezcam thought about this, and then he responded "Alright. I'll wait. But you'd better have my twenty-five percent come this time next week."

Growltiger nodded as Joezcam left the marina.

However, Growltiger followed him back to his ship and studied his behavior closely. A few hours later, Joezcam was walking alone in a deserted part of the docks at Battersea.

Growltiger was on the platform above him, carrying a towel wrapped around his arm behind his back. He was watching the Siamese tom closely, and when he was confident that there was no one else around, he jumped down next to Joezcam.

The Siamese tom was startled, but when he realized who it was, he him annoyed "What are you doing here?"

"I came to speak to you about our 'negotiations,'" Growltiger explained.

"What about them?"

"I'm canceling them," Growltiger answered simply.

Joezcam was outraged when he heard those words come out of the young Bravo Cat's mouth. He shouted "No one ceases negotiations with me unless I give them approval! Who do you think you are to call the shots?"

"I'm the tom holding the cards now, Joezcam," Growltiger told him.

"That's it!" yelled the Siamese tom, "I'm moving it up to thirty percent! If I get a single bit less, you will regret that you were ever born!"

"Oh, I don't think so," Growltiger sneered.

At that moment, he brought his arm – the one with the towel wrapped around it – out in front of him. With one swift move, he yanked the towel off, revealing a long, metal harpoon. He had been carrying this underneath the towel.

Joezcam stepped back in alarm. Growltiger took the harpoon in both of his front paws and started walking very slowly towards the Siamese tom.

Joezcam turned around and took off running. Growltiger held the harpoon in one paw, aimed it at the Siamese tom, and tossed it like a javelin. It hit him squarely in the back. Joezcam collapsed onto his stomach, moaning in agony.

Growltiger slowly approached him and pulled the harpoon out. Then he stabbed Joezcam over and over again. The Siamese tom desperately pleaded for his life, but Growltiger would not relent.

Growltiger stabbed Joezcam a total of thirty times, but he was already dead after the ninth one. Once all that was finished, Growltiger collected his profits off of the corpse and made his way back to his ship.

The news of Joezcam's death quickly spread around the Thames. Growltiger was recognized by almost everyone as a hero for his actions, but the Siamese and most other cats of foreign race labeled him as a murderer. They vowed that they would not let Joezcam's death go unpunished.

However, Growltiger's independent crew quickly became popular. In fact, many cats serving in the feline navy resigned their commissions just so they could take up the lifestyle after him.

Many of those cats asked to join Growltiger's crew. He initially allowed anyone with the proper experience on board, but it was not long before he decided that they would not a bigger ship. Thus, the _Demagogue _was born. It was the first independent ship built by cats on the Thames River to hold a crew of over forty. In fact, it could accomodate a hundred. Not long after this, many more such ships were created in turn. Those were the ships of Growltiger's allies.

Essentially, it was thanks to Growltiger that pirates had such a large dominion over the Thames River. Without him, none of that would have been possible.

Growltiger's power steadily increased as the months passed. He was viewed by his allies as a figure to be followed, respected, and appreciated. Whereas, by the Siamese, he was viewed as a figure to be hated, shunned, and cursed.

Every now and then, Growltiger would be forced into a confrontation with the Siamese. One of them – Nihaar – had managed to poke out his right eye during a fight, but Nihaar had barely escaped with his life after that.

Despite that, no one ever dared attack Growltiger unless they felt for certain they could defeat him. And everyone who tried to attack him ended up dead.

In spite of all this fear and violence, Growltiger still had a soft place in his heart for his one true love – Griddlebone. But when he learned that he was going to be a father, he panicked. He worried that his enemies would attempt to harm his family if they were ever discovered.

Growltiger still visited his family every now and then after that, but soon, he became so paranoid that he just stopped visiting them altogether.

He had only done this to protect them, but when he learned that his children had run away, he could not forgive himself. Just a month before the present day, he had sworn to Griddlebone that he would get them back, but then the war came up, and it would be too dangerous to bring their children home to come aboard the _Demagogue _in time of war.

Now, in the present day, the war was over. Now he could bring his children home.


	24. The New Assignment

Note: I'm sorry if this chapter's rushed. I'm just eager to work on the next few chapters.

During that entire recollection, Growltiger had remained standing in front of the fireplace. He had been standing on his hind legs, looking down at the flames and his front paws had been connected behind his back.

Tumblebrutus had remained sitting on the couch, listening to everything his Captain said. It was a lot of information for him to take in all at once.

After a long interval of silence, Tumblebrutus spoke up: "Sir, I do not me to sound impudent, but may I ask why you are telling me all this now?"

"The only other person I've told is Grumbuskin," Growltiger answered, "And you and he are the two members of the crew I feel I can trust with this information."

Growltiger turned around and walked closer to the younger tom. He told him "Long ago, I told you that I would have my children brought home after all matters of immediate importance were concluded. Now that both the war and the Mariners' Gala have come and gone, I believe that now is the time to bring them back."

"How will you manage that?" Tumblebrutus asked. He almost immediately felt that he could have worded that question a little better than he did.

Growltiger explained his plan: "Vearhin – the commanding officer Grumbuskin and I served under on the _Ptarmigan _– was one of the many officers that retired from the navy and took up the independent sailor business. He is arguably one of the more successful individuals who took up the trade, as he became involved in several commercial deals across the country. One of those deals takes place in Hampton."

"The same place where your children are," Tumblebrutus noted.

"Correct," Growltiger continued, "In order to express his gratitude for giving him the inspiration to take up the pirating business, once every other month, Vearhin gives us a percentage of the profits he makes from all his deals. That was the matter of the 'shipment' we discussed during the negotiations with Baltrow. The business transaction itself always takes place in Hampton, as that area is the center of all Vearhin's work."

"What does that have to do with your plans to recover your children?" asked Tumble.

"I'm getting to that," said Growltiger, "Anyways, Vearhin's next tribute is due in three days. Grumbuskin is usually the one who goes down there to pick up our benefit. This is because Vearhin is only comfortable negotiating with me or him, but I have a ship to run, so that would leave Grumbs. Grumbuskin typically goes alone, but I'm going to send him down there with a few others this time."

"Why, sir?" inquired Tumble.

"Because I want more people than just my First Officer searching for my children," Growltiger answered, "You see, Tumblebrutus, the network Griddlebone and I established to locate our children has been keeping an eye on them for a while. They have been living in Hampton for a long time. Now that I have another reason to send someone down there, I can finally bring them back."

"If you don't mind me asking, sir, why are you not going yourself?" stated Tumblebrutus.

"For two reasons," Growltiger answered, "One, as I said before, I have a ship to manage. And two…" He paused here for a moment, and then continued with a note of sadness in his voice: "I do not know if they would even wish to see me."

Tumble was surprised to hear that answer, "Sir, you're their father! How could you think that?"

"It's my fault they ran away in the first place," Growltiger said, a tear coming to his only eye, "If the first thing they said to me after a year of estrangement was 'I hate you,' I don't think I could handle the guilt. I've lived through many terrible experiences on this river, but none of them could even compare to the message my children could send me that I failed as a parent. That is why I need someone else to bring them back in my stead."

"So you have Grumbuskin," Tumblebrutus commented, "But what does this have to do with me?"

Growltiger turned to his young Third Officer and gazed at him. Then he changed the subject, saying "Tumblebrutus, you are a very promising officer. You have discipline, courage, motivation, and skills of a variety of sorts. However, there is one thing you have not been through that everyone else on this ship has."

"What is that?" Tumble asked.

"Being away from your family for more than a night," Growltiger responded simply, "Every other member of the crew has gone without seeing their families for at least a week at a time. But I believe that if you just come here in the evening and return in the very early morning, you will still not fully understand all the complexities of being a pirate."

Tumblebrutus raised an eyebrow. He was a little confused by Growltiger's words. "Sir, do you wish for me to start working for you in the daytime hours, as well? If that is what you want, I'd be a little difficult to manage, but I suppose I could-"

"Tumblebrutus, that is not what I am suggesting at all," Growltiger politely interrupted, "The amount of work you do on this ship at night is extremely efficient. What I mean is that I need someone else – someone I know I can trust – to go on this mission."

Tumblebrutus was not sure what Growltiger meant at once, but realization quickly dawned. He looked up at his Captain and asked nervously "Sir, do you want me to… to go with… with Grumbuskin to Hampton?"

Growltiger slowly nodded. "You and he are the only ones I can fully trust to get this task done. And it would be the perfect chance for you to experience being away from your family."

"Sir, I am more than willing to help you in any way I can," Tumblebrutus told the Bravo Cat, "But I have rarely ever been outside London. While I do feel safe having Grumbuskin for company, I am not so certain about us going by ourselves."

"You will not be alone." Growltiger assured him, "A few of the ship's junior officers will accompany you."

"Who else are you sending?" Tumble asked.

"Only a few others; a large group would attract too much attention," Growltiger explained, "Ralpharite has been apprised of this mission, and – being the Intelligence Officer – he has many resources in Hampton. I'll also be sending along Dominev and Placondgo, in case you encounter any trouble along the way. But I don't expect you to."

"That does make me feel a bit better," said Tumble. There was a very long awkward silence in the room between the two of them. Finally, Growltiger asked "What is your answer?"

Tumblebrutus sighed deeply and said "I will do it, sir. I will bring them home."

Growltiger smiled widely down at Tumble and patted him friendly on the back. "Thank you, Tumblebrutus. You have no idea how much this means to me."

"Oh, I imagine that it means a great deal to you," Tumble remarked.

"Indeed it does," nodded Growltiger, "However, there is one part of the mission that concerns me about its success."

"What is that?" asked the younger tom.

"I have heard tell that there are many dishonest or hostile cats that reside in Hampton," Growltiger explained, "You would have to be extremely cautious of who you trust down there."

"That is a good point, sir," Tumblebrutus agreed, "In fact; I've heard that it is almost impossible to determine who is trustworthy and who is not in the area around Hampton."

"I have heard that as well," Growltiger stated, "Maybe we should take some precautions about this matter before I send you and the others off to risk your lives."

"Perhaps we should find someone else to join us," Tumble suggested, "Someone that is an expert at determining someone's trustworthiness at first sight."

"That does seem like the most foolproof and most surefire way to deal with the problem," Growltiger concurred, "Unfortunately, we have no one on board who can manage it that easily. I don't suppose you know anyone who possesses such ability?"

Tumblebrutus stood thinking for a bit, and tried his best to think of anyone he knew that was an expert at sorting out liars from honest people. A solution quickly dawned on him. He looked up at Growltiger and told him "As a matter of fact, sir, there are two cats in my tribe that just may be suited to that task. Perhaps they could help us out."

"Are you certain it is a wise idea to involve members of your tribe in this matter?" asked Growltiger.

"Most of them, I would not involve," replied Tumble, "But these two are very reliable and helpful. When they are together, they are believed to be clairvoyant. In fact, it is partially thanks to one of them that I'm on this boat in the first place."

"How do you mean?" said Growltiger.

"Think back to the night you and I talked about my grandfather's work," Tumblebrutus advised his Captain, "Do you remember that I mentioned how I asked a friend for advice on whether I should accept your offer or not?"

"Yes, I do," Growltiger nodded.

"Well, you see, his advice convinced me to take up the job," Tumblebrutus clarified, "So, I know he would be helpful. He and his twin sister – the other clairvoyant cat – are also the only ones who know about my job." When Tumblebrutus saw the expression on Growltiger's face, he quickly added in, "But do not worry about them knowing. All they know is that I work on the docks."

Growltiger shrugged and said "I suppose that if you want to involve them in this matter, you **will **have to tell them soon. Are you certain you can trust them?"

"I trust them as much as you trust me," Tumblebrutus nodded, "Believe me, sir, they will be more than willing to help us out."

"Alright then, thank you, Tumblebrutus," Growltiger smiled down at his boatswain, "You are dismissed."

Across town, in Macavity's warehouse, Cyclops, Sharpie, and Flash were talking in a room by themselves. It was Cyclops that had called their small meeting together; as he had something he wanted to share with the others. Something that deeply troubled him.

"Guys, do you remember how last night, when I told you that I thought I had seen two of the cats that were on board the _Demagogue _somewhere before?" he asked them.

"You mean the two young cats that were standing by themselves on the back part of the ship?" assumed Flash.

"Yes, those two," Cyclops nodded, "Well, I've been thinking through my head, and I believe I remember where I saw them before."

"Well, then where?" asked Sharpie, "Where do you remember seeing them?"

Cyclops answered: "A few months ago, we were terrorizing the Jellicle Junkyard. At one point, I saw a group of kittens grouped together around their parents. I had taken the time to get a glimpse of each of their faces so I could savor the fear they were in. I believe that two of those kittens were the same two cats I saw last night."

Flash and Sharpie were surprised to hear this answer.

"Are you suggesting that there are Jellicles working for Growltiger?" Flash uttered quietly.

"Yes," stated Cyclops, "I am sure of it. Those two were Jellicles."

"We'd better let Mungojerrie know about this," remarked Flash.

"What?" said Sharpie, "And risk pulling the plug on the plan? No way!"

"Sharpie, Mungojerrie would be furious if he found out about that!" Flash stated.

"So?" said Sharpie calmly, "It's not like he could discipline us for not sharing all information with him in his plan of **working behind the Boss's back! **Besides, the Jellicles are Macavity's sworn enemies."

"Yes, but Macavity always goes on about how he has a fate reserved for the Jellicles," Cyclops pointed out, "There's a chance he may even know who is on board that ship."

"Then why hasn't the mole told us anything of this matter yet?" stated Flash.

"Maybe the mole has never seen a Jellicle before," theorized Sharpie, "If so, then going along with the plan so far would work in our favor."

"I'm still not so sure that we should just keep the matter of the Jellicles quiet," said Cyclops.

"Look at it this way: we'll be able to show Mac that we're capable of spreading fear without him ordering us to," Sharpie pointed out, "And who says he'll ever find out if there are Jellicles on that ship? If we work carefully enough, we have nothing to worry about."

Eventually, Cyclops and Flash saw the logic in Sharpie's words. They ultimately agreed to keep the matter of the Jellicles on board the _Demagogue _quiet. But they decided that they would keep an eye out for them the next time they went spying on the _Demagogue _directly. All they had to do was pick up the scent of a Jellicle, and they would have their answer.

Later that night, after Tumblebrutus returned home and spend some time with Jemima, he had gone to speak with Coricopat and Tantomile. He had politely woken them up to talk to them. At Growltiger's consent, he told them everything about what did at night for the past month. This included the conversation that had taken place between him and his Captain just a few hours earlier. When the explanation was finished, both of the twins were quite interested.

"Let me see if I have the right idea in my head," stated Coricopat, "You want me and Tanto to accompany you on this journey so that we can determine who is trustworthy in Hampton?"

"Yes, that is idea," said Tumblebrutus, "Now, there is no reason at all that you would **have **to come, but if you did, it would make the search for Growltiger's children a lot easier. And if you guys do this favor for me, I promise you that someday I will repay you."

"Tumblebrutus, we're just grateful that you sought out our help," Tantomile told the young patched tom, "Cori and I enjoy putting our psychic abilities to good use. This would be a perfect opportunity for us to do so."

"So, you'll come with me and the others?" assumed Tumblebrutus.

"Yes, we will," Coricopat nodded, "As long as this mission will not put any of us in extreme danger."

Tumblebrutus smiled at them gratefully and said, "Do not worry about that. Grumbuskin and the others are professionals. Besides, don't forget that I'm the overseer of safety on board the _Demagogue_."

"But we still have to provide the rest of the tribe with a reason for our absence," Tantomile pointed out, "Seeing as we'll be gone for a few days."

"Leave that to me," Tumblebrutus assured them, "Long ago, I told my mother that the reason I was gone at night was that I joined a hunting club, which is run by the mate of the _Demagogue_'s Chief of Security. As it turns out, his mate is a distant friend of my mother, so everything worked out perfectly. I'll just tell my mom and the others that the club is going on a hunting trip out of town, and that I'm allowed to bring along a few guests. That's where you come in."

"That sounds like an excellent plan," said a soft voice from above.

The three of them quickly looked up and saw Jemima sitting atop a pile of junk. She hopped down next to Tumblebrutus and asked him "So, when do we leave?"

"'We?'" he repeated, thinking he had misheard her.

"Yes, Tumble," she nodded, "I think that maybe I could be of some help, too."

"Jem, I'm sorry, but you're not going," he told her sternly, as if that was an inflexible statement, "I don't know how much of that conversation you heard, but-"

"I heard all of it, Tumble," she told him, "Both the parts I already knew about and the plan about travelling to Hampton. Why didn't you tell me about the travelling plan?"

"I would have told," he assured her, "But I didn't see it as necessary just yet."

"Were you worried about my reaction?" she asked.

He paused for a moment before honestly answering "Yes, I was."

"Well, Tumble, I want to go with you," she stated flatly, "I want to help."

"Jem, for me, this is arguably the whole point of the mission!" he told her, "It's so that I'll be away from my family, and know about the pressures of being a sailor. As much as I'd like to have you with us, I would be completely missing the point Growltiger's trying to make. Besides, there could be some trouble along the way."

"Tumble, I understand your position, but there are many other members of our family here – both yours and mine – that you'd be away from," she pointed out, "Only I would want to join you. Just me, Cori, and Tanto. No one else."

"Why?" Tumble asked, starting to get a little annoyed, "Why do you want to come with us?"

She replied with "For three reasons: one, I want to be with you. Two, I want to contribute something to your work. And three, I don't think I could stand constantly worrying about your safety in the days you are gone."

"You distinctly told me yesterday that you never wanted to go anywhere near the _Demagogue _ever again," Tumblebrutus recalled, "Not after what happened at the gala."

Corciopat and Tantomile thought that to be an excellent point. He had told both of them about how Farios had attempted to rape Jemima while he was drunk, and neither of them wanted to see her get hurt that way (or any other way).

"If it concerned your safety, I would go back to that ship a hundred times," she told him, "If I had to, I would even face that brute that attacked us."

Tumblebrutus was touched by her words, but his decision stood. "I'm sorry, Jem. But I just can't let you come."

Jemima slowly looked up into his eyes, put on a serious look, and said "Alright then, Tumble. But first, I'd like to add a fourth reason."

"What?" he said.

"If you let me come with you, I won't tell the rest of the tribe that you've been lying to them for the past month," she responded sternly.

Tumblebrutus was alarmed by the seriousness in Jemima's tone. He looked down at her, saying "Jem… you can't tell them that!"

"Then let me come along," she demanded, "That's the price of my silence now, Tumble."

Tumblebrutus would never have imagined that Jemima was even capable of making such a threat. Now she left him little choice. He had to either bring her along and risk her safety, or leave her and risk the rest of the tribe knowing about what he did at night.

"Tumble, I'm only doing this because I love you," she assured him, seeing the shock in his eyes, "I want you to be safe, and the only way I can know that for sure is if I'm there with you. Please, just let me come along. I won't get in the way, and I'll help out in any way I can."

Tumblebrutus stood thinking for a very long time, and he finally answered her: "Alright, Jem. You can join us. But I'll have to speak with my Captain about it first. He doesn't want the group to be too big."

"Alright," she agreed, her usual sweet countenance returning. She smiled up at her tomfriend and said "Thank you, Tumble."

He smiled in return and kissed her. When they pulled apart, he said "It's no problem at all. Just remember one thing."

"What?" she asked.

Continuing to smile, he leaned down and whispered into her ear: "I love you, too."


	25. Setting Off

The following night, Tumblebrutus left the junkyard when he normally did. But this time, Coricopat, Tantomile, and Jemima went with him. Tumblebrutus had succeeded in convincing everyone that he would be leaving on a hunting trip the next day, and that he was allowed to invite three friends to accompany him.

Of course, that night, he was just taking the psychic twins and his queenfriend down to the docks so that Growltiger could fill them in on the details of the mission. They would not be leaving for at least another day.

When they arrived as Westminster, Tumblebrutus led them on board the ship. Two of the ship's security crew spotted the strange faces and ran over to detain them before they got on board.

Tumblebrutus told them "It's alright. They're with me."

The two guards eased down and nodded. One of them said "The Captain is waiting for you in the Meeting Chambers… sir."

"Thank you," Tumblebrutus turned to the others and gestured to continue. They followed him down to the next deck. As he led them to the Meeting Chambers, he said over his shoulder "Sorry about that. But the crew isn't so bad once you get more acquainted with them."

"That's easy for you to say, seeing as how you're fourth-in-command," Jemima commented.

"That may be true," Tumble agreed, "But I know for a fact that they are much friendlier around people they know."

When they arrived in the Meeting Chambers, Growltiger, Griddlebone, Grumbuskin, Ralpharite, Dominev, and Placondgo were already assembled there. The six of them watched as the four Jellicles entered the room.

Tumblebrutus led his friends over to Growltiger. When he stopped in front of him, Growltiger looked at the twins and asked Tumble "Are they the ones you spoke of?"

"Yes, sir," nodded Tumble, "These are the ones that can sense thoughts and emotions."

Growltiger turned back to the twins and watched them closely, as if he was studying them. He spoke after a few moments "What are your names?"

"I am Coricopat," replied the male twin.

"And I am Tantomile," answered the female twin.

Growltiger did notice that Jemima was there, too. He turned to Tumblebrutus and asked to speak with him outside the room for a moment. They went into the hallway. There, Growltiger asked his boatswain "Why did you bring Jemima here?"

"It's… a complicated matter, sir," was Tumble's response. He briefly told his Captain about his short but serious argument with Jemima the previous night. He knew that she was determined to go with him, but he was not sure how his Captain would take the idea of such a thing.

"Sir, believe me; I tried to tell Jemima about the danger of this mission, as well as its intended purpose for me," Tumblebrutus assured the Bravo Cat, "But she refuses to let me go without her. If I do, she'll tell the entire tribe about my work on this ship, and I'm nowhere near ready to tell them yet."

Growltiger stood thinking about all of this for a short while. He then told Tumble "Perhaps it could be possible for her to join and contribute to the mission."

The two of them walked back inside the Meeting Chambers, and Growltiger started explaining the plan, which he called Operation R.E.C.O.V.E.R. He spread out a map of London and its surrounding providences on the table, and used it to present his instructions more wholly.

"Hampton is only a short distance away, but it would take days to get there on foot," Growltiger told everyone, "That is why you will be travelling by train."

"Train, sir?" said Tumblebrutus.

"Yes," Growltiger confirmed. He pointed out a spot in Central London and the map and instructed them "One of the platforms at London Waterloo Station serves as the starting point of the South Western Main Line. At a certain point on that line, the tracks will switch off to the Hampton Court Branch Line, and wind up at the Hampton Court railway station at Hampton itself. Tomorrow night, you will take that train and follow that exact route."

"But Boss, there are a lot of different tracks the South Western Lines could switch off to," Grumbuskin pointed out, "How will we know when to get on at the right time?"

"Don't worry about that, sir," Ralpharite answered for the Captain, "I have a schedule of all the departure times from Waterloo Station. We can use that to keep track of the South Western Main Line's routes based on the time."

"Alright then," Grumbuskin nodded. He turned to Growltiger and said "Please, continue, sir."

Growltiger nodded and referred back to the map "Once you arrive in Hampton, I want you to find a place to make camp for the night. Do your best to look inconspicuous."

"Looking inconspicuous is not our best talent, sir, but we can manage," commented Dominev.

"Right," Growltiger pointed out a certain spot in the middle and Hampton and said "The day after you get there, I want you to spend it looking for Dawlimer, Scurtena, and Bellazni. But at night, you must arrive here at the Bell Inn to handle the business with Vearhin."

"It's going to take place at the Bell Inn this time?" said Grumbuskin in interest.

"Yes," Growltiger nodded, "But Grumbs, remember this carefully: Business first, then a drink."

"Of course, sir," Grumbuskin agreed. Whenever Grumbuskin went to Hampton, he would have a drink at the pub by the Bell Inn. It was one of his favorite places to get a beverage. Down there, other cats would call ordering a round "wetting their beards." However, since Grumbuskin was picking up a shipment meant for him and Growltiger, one could argue that he was "wetting his beard" in more than one way, as that was also the term gangsters used to describe receiving tribute from other gangsters.

"Do we have any leads on where to begin the search?" inquired Placondgo.

"Baltrow told us just before he died that a cat by the name Roshedam who lives down there seems to know something about where my children are located," Growltiger recalled, "So I'd suggest that you look for him first. Ask around and such. But be careful who you trust."

"Is that where we come in?" asked Coricopat.

"It is, indeed," Growltiger said to the psychic tom. He spoke to the others "Now, because none of you has ever seen my children before, Griddlebone and I have made some sketches of them, so that they may serve as a guide."

There, Griddlebone pulled out three expertly-drawn sketches of three young cats. She told the others "I drew them from memory as best I could. There may be a few minor errors, but I believe these are close enough."

The seven other cats took the drawings and studied them closely. From there, they got a good idea of what each of the three missing cats looked like.

Dawlimer had gold and red stripes, which he had inherited from his father, but he had a white chest and paws from his mother. Scurtena was white with patches of gold and red along her body, giving her a lovely combination of both her parents' coats. Bellazni had a coat composed entirely of patches of red, gold, and white, which complimented her figure nicely. It was easily to detect the Persian features they had inherited from their mother, which made Grumbuskin, Ralpharite, Dominev, and Placondgo feel a little uneasy.

Growltiger noticed this and told them "Gentlemen, I know what you are thinking. They may have foreign blood, but they are still of my line. I want you to commit these drawings to memory."

It did not take long for the other seven to manage that order. Once that was accomplished, Growltiger told the others "Once you have found them, I want you to come to the docks at West Molesey. It is only a few miles south of Hampton, so it should be an easy walking distance."

"Why do you want us to go there, sir?" asked Tumblebrutus.

"Because the _Demagogue _will be waiting for you there," replied Growltiger, "Once we rendezvous there, we can bring aboard Vearhin's shipment and my children at the same time."

"Why couldn't we just travel back by train, sir?" asked Placondgo.

"Because humans are not likely to ignore the sight of a group of cats loading heavy crates onto a train," Growltiger answered straightly, "I want you to remain as inconspicuous as possible."

"But why don't we just travel the Thames to West Molesey on the _Demagogue_?" inquired Dominev, "Why do the rest of us have to travel by train, sir?"

"Because it would take at least three or four days for the _Demagogue _to travel that far down the river," Growltiger explained, "And I predict that it will take you about that same amount of time to find my children and pick up the shipment. The way I see it, if you travel by train and the rest of us travel by the river, you should be able to complete the mission by the time we arrive in West Molesey. It would save a lot of time. The less time this takes, the sooner I can see my children."

Everyone understood Growltiger's reasoning. So they did not question his orders.

After a pause, Growltiger stated "Grumbuskin, Ralpharite, Dominev, and Placondgo, you are all dismissed. Tumblebrutus, I would like to have a word with you and your friends."

The room was quickly cleared of all but the Jellicles, Growltiger, and Griddlebone. The Bravo Cat asked Jemima to stand directly in front of him. She complied, and he began to study her. As he did this, he thought about what role she could play on this mission. He found this to be a difficult matter. To him, she just appeared to be a young, innocent, slightly naïve queen that would never harm anyone.

Growltiger finally spoke: "Tumblebrutus has told me of your desire to accompany him on this mission."

Jemima replied: "That is correct, sir."

Growltiger paused a moment and spoke again: "Why do you wish to go along?"

"Because I love him, sir," Jemima said simply, "And I want to be there for him. It's the only way I can assure myself of his safety."

"That is admirable, Jemima," Growltiger told her, "But there is something I must know: What skills do you have that could benefit the others on this mission?"

Jemima answered straight away: "I'm a fair hunter and tracker, sir. I can catch any rodent not matter how elusive it is, and I can determine if there is danger at the end of a trail without actually going to the end myself."

Growltiger found these to be remarkable skills. Perhaps Jemima could be of some use on this mission after all.

He looked up and asked his boatswain "Can you vouch for her claim, Tumblebrutus?"

"Absolutely, sir," he replied, "She is very good at hunting and tracking. So good, in fact, that you'd have to see it yourself to believe it."

Growltiger nodded in interest, and looked down at Jemima. He asked her "Would you be willing to be away from your family for an entire week? Perhaps even longer than that?"

She nodded, saying "I am willing, sir. As long as I am with Tumblebrutus, I will be willing to endure any and all hardships on this mission."

The Bravo Cat was deeply impressed by Jemima's spirit. She possessed the very qualities he looked for in a sailor. He told her "Then I grant your request to join the group."

She smiled up at Growltiger and told him "Thank you, sir. You must know how much this means to me."

Growltiger nodded and, looking at Griddlebone out of the corner of his eye, said "I know how it feels to love a person so deeply that you would go to incredible lengths to assure yourself of their safety."

There was a pause for a moment, and then Growltiger told the Jellicles "Report back here tomorrow night at nine o'clock sharp. I will inform you of any minor details we have left to cover, and then I will see you and the others off on the mission."

The four Jellicles agreed to this arrangement. Growltiger let Tumblebrutus leave the ship early that night so that he could take the others home.

By the time they arrived, everyone else was already asleep. Coricopat and Tantomile went to bed, too, but Jemima and Tumblebrutus decided to stargaze for a little while.

As the two of them laid on top the hood of the TSE-1, they pointed out different constellations and talked to each other. Tumble turned to Jemima at one point and said "Jem, can I be frank with you?"

"Of course," she nodded.

"I was still very skeptical about you coming along on the mission until the meeting tonight," he told her, "But now that Growltiger seems to have confidence in you, I find myself supporting the idea of you joining us. I wonder why that is?"

"Maybe it's because Growltiger is an intelligent tom," she theorized, "Or, maybe you cannot bring yourself to disagree with your captain."

"That could be it," he admitted, "But anyway, now that you are officially coming with us, I want you to just promise me one thing."

"Sure, Tumble," she responded, "Anything."

He leaned over to her ear and whispered "Promise me you'll always stay within five meters of me while we're there. That way, I can focus on the mission with the assurance that you are right by me."

She agreed to this request, as it was a reasonable one. After a while, they finally went to sleep.

The next morning, Tumblebrutus presented his "hunting trip" story to the rest of the tribe. He made sure to mention that he, Jemima, and the psychic twins would be gone for at least a week. Fortunately, the other members of the tribe all seemed to believe his story, even Jellylorum.

After working out a deal with Jemima's parents Skimbleshanks and Jennyanydots, the two of them agreed to let her join him on the trip. Coricopat and Tantomile had come of age long ago, so they did not need permission to leave the tribe, as long as they had plans to return.

At eight-thirty, the four of them left the junkyard and travelled to the docks at Westminster. When they arrived on the bridge of the _Demagogue_, they found the other four members of their group waiting for them.

Eight travelling equipment packs had been brought up to the bridge. They were each composed of a map, some basic camping supplies, enough rations to last for a week, an emergency first-aid kit, a blanket, and a rolled-up cat-sized sleeping bag. Ralpharite's pack included some of his reports of the activity around Hampton and West Molesey. Placondgo and Dominev had brought along some small weapons, "just in case." They simply liked being prepared. Grumbuskin had brought along a little catnip, just in case he needed something to help him stay calm if he got too much stress on the mission.

Once everyone was suited up and ready to depart, Growltiger faced them all one more time. He told them "I am not expecting you to encounter any trouble on this mission; it's a simple search and retrieve. I wish you all the best of luck on it, and that you may return from it safely and successfully."

"We shall, Captain." Grumbuskin assured his Captain. "Your children will be found and returned to you very soon."

"I am grateful to know that, Grumbs," Growltiger told his First Officer, "But if – when you find them – they voice any sort of desire NOT to see me, I do not want you to force them to come with you. You must first make them feel comfortable with the idea of seeing me again."

"Do you think that will actually happen, Captain?" queried Ralpharite.

"It would not surprise me, Ralph," answered the Bravo Cat, "That arguably was their reason for running away in the first place."

Tumblebrutus told his Captain "When we find them, sir, we'll tell them about all you have been doing to try and bring them home. I am certain that that will do away with any anger that they may feel towards you."

Growltiger smiled down at him. He was obviously grateful to have heard that.

A few moments later, the search party piled off the ship one at a time. Jemima was the last to leave. Just before she left, Griddlebone handed her a few folded pieces of paper and gave her the following instructions: "Jemima, when you find our children, please give them these letters. We feel it will help them realize just how much we miss them, even if they do not reciprocate the feeling."

Jemima promised Griddlebone right on that spot that she would see to it herself that her children got the letters. Then she left the ship to join up with the others.

The eight of them made their way across town and arrived at the London Waterloo Train Station. That was the same train station where Jemima's father Skimbleshanks worked at night, but he was not due to arrive for another hour, so they would not have to worry about encountering him at the station.

Once they arrived at Waterloo Station, they put their equipment packs on a dolly, which was taken into the station a moment later. Then they all entered through the main entrance one at a time. They figured that they would look less suspicious this way. By making it appear as though they were travelling with different owners, they felt they would be less noticeable.

Soon, they recovered their equipment packs and made their way to Travelcard Zone 6 and boarded an empty train car.

After Grumbuskin made sure that everyone was accounted for, he told them dramatically "This is it. We're off to Hampton, in all its history and beauty."

"Swell," said Ralpharite sarcastically, "Just let me know when we get there. I'm going to study my reports of the area."

"Right," Grumbuskin agreed, "We'll be there in about thirty or forty minutes."

As the train set off, the eight cats watched as the sight of London slowly disappeared from their view.

That was the last time two of them ever saw London.


	26. Plans In Motion

Note: For those of you who have a memory as good as mine, you may remember that Grumbuskin had some catnip back in Chapter 3. I originally intended to have his fondness of catnip to be a type of running gag throughout this fic, but I put the idea aside for some reason. Right now I'm wondering if I should go back and add that bit in. It'd only add it in a few chapters, such as Chapter 8 (right after the meeting with Baltrow), Chapter 11 (before the massacre at Chelsea), Chapter 12 (after the massacre), Chapter 16 (before the Battle of Southwark), and Chapter 21 (just before he performs in the Mariner's Gala).What's your opinion on that idea? If you think it'd be too much a flaw on his character, then I'll leave those chapters as they are.

Farios sat in the corner of the brig on the _Demagogue_. He was trying to settle down, but his mind was still haunted by what had happened at the Mariners' Gala.

When he had woken up in the brig, he had demanded to know what was going on. Bill Bailey had been on guard duty at the time, and the Security Chief explained everything.

Farios was shocked when Bill Bailey told him that he had tried to rape Jemima and beat Tumblebrutus. He had only seen the two of them for a moment on the ship earlier that night, and he had merely acknowledged that Jemima was a beautiful queen. But he knew his place; he knew that she was Tumblebrutus' queenfriend and that she was too young for him.

His actions during his drunken state proved otherwise.

Once Bill Bailey confirmed that Farios did not pose a threat to anyone, Growltiger came to confront him for his actions.

"What exactly happened?" Growltiger asked him, trying to suppress a furious glare.

"I… I don't really know, sir," Farios had responded, "One moment, he had been drinking with a few of his friends from some of the other vessels. Then, my mind partly blacked out. I felt my body move, and I heard voices, but I could not understand what was going on."

"You attacked a senior officer and his guest," Growltiger stated bluntly, "That is why you are in the brig."

"Sir, I know you're not going to believe me," Farios told his Captain, "But I have no idea how that happened. It was as if I was not in control of my own body for a while."

"You are correct, Farios," said Growltiger, "I do not believe you."

Farios sighed and leaned back against the corner. He did not know how many drinks he had that night, but he was certain that he had not consumed enough to bring out his latent feelings about Tumblebrutus and Jemima.

Farios looked at Growltiger and asked him "What punitive actions are being taken against me?"

"I decided to let Tumblebrutus determine your sentence," Growltiger told him, "He suggested keeping you in here for ten days and demoting you one grade. If you ask me, that is a generous punishment."

Farios sighed again and stayed seated in the corner. Growltiger told him "I want your assurance that this will never happen again. Ever."

"It will not, sir," Farios replied, "I'll spend the next nine days thinking about what happened."

Growltiger nodded, said "Good," and left the brig.

Farios leaned up against the wall, resting his arms against the cold metal. Just then, he recoiled and grasped his left arm just above the elbow. A bandage had been tied to that part of his arm.

Earlier, Growltiger had ordered Najalim and Quaftil to go to the brig while Farios was unconscious and withdraw a sample of his blood. He wanted them to use it to determine just how much alcohol Farios had in his system when he and his friends attacked Tumblebrutus and Jemima. Growltiger also wanted to have his blood tested for drugs like catnip or anything else that would explain his behavior.

The bandage had remained to clot the bleeding. But Farios felt so much self-loathing for what he had done that he felt he did not even deserve the privilege of a bandage. He just sat in that corner of the brig, thinking to himself.

Almost two days later, Farios had barely moved at all, except to go to the door when the guards brought him food. He felt that even once his sentence was over, he would not feel comfortable. The others would probably give him hostile glares or condemn him for his actions.

Farios ultimately decided that he would deserve to be treated this way. He felt no sympathy or respect for himself at that time. All he could do was wonder _What happened that night? What could have possibly motivated me to behave in such a barbaric manner?_

…

At Macavity's warehouse, Flash had just returned from a night of spying. He met up with Sharpie and Cyclops to share his findings with them.

"Did you find out anything useful about the ship?" asked Sharpie.

"Not especially, no," replied Flash, "But I made a **very **interesting discovery about the crew."

"What would that be?" said Cyclops.

"Growltiger is sending a group of eight cats to Hampton," Flash explained, "Those cats left the ship at Westminster, and I followed them for about a mile."

"Did they see you?" said Sharpie.

"No, I made sure to keep enough distance between them and myself," Flash assured them, "Anyway, it looks like your theory was correct, Cy."

"What theory?" stated the one-eyed cat.

"There **are **Jellicles working for Growltiger," Flash replied, "I picked up a scent as I followed them. After just a moment of pondering, I knew it could only be the scent of a Jellicle."

"You found a Jellicle leaving for Hampton?" said Sharpie.

"Not one, but four." Flash corrected her.

"Four Jellicles?" Cyclops stated aloud.

"Yes, but that's not all," said Flash, "I went back to the docks at Westminster shortly after that to see if I could detect another Jellicle's scent. But I could not."

"So, you're saying that those four are the only Jellicles working for Growltiger?" Sharpie assumed.

"It would seem that way." Flash nodded.

"Why would Growltiger send the only four Jellicles in his crew on a mission to Hampton?" wondered Cyclops.

"I'm sure he has his reasons," stated Flash, "But we shouldn't concern ourselves with that matter. We have to focus on what is going on here in London. Did you guys get any update from the mole tonight?"

"Yes, we did, as a matter of fact," answered Sharpie, "Mungojerrie is expecting to receive a communiqué from Genghis very soon. The Siamese may have enough information to stage an attack against the _Demagogue_ now."

"Already?" said Flash, "Just two days ago, we did not have anywhere near enough info for him."

"That is true," stated Cyclops, "But a while before you got back, we received a transmission from the mole. There was a massive amount of information attached to it."

"Really?" Flash whistled.

"Yep," said Sharpie, "We were almost overwhelmed by all its detail. Mungojerrie transmitted all the new data to Genghis. Genghis in turn put us on standby while he analyzed the information."

Flash nodded, trying to contain his amazement. He had no idea that their plan could have accelerated so much in just one night.

Right then, there was a knock on the door. The three henchcats turned to it, wondering who it could be.

"Come in," said Cyclops.

Mungojerrie came into the room. He looked at the other three and told them "Genghis is sending us his response. I think that you'll want to know what he has to say. "

The four of them went to the communications array and put the microphone on speaker. Soon, Genghis's message came through. According to its contents, the Siamese leader had determined that enough information about the _Demagogue_ had been collected for him and his men to stage an attack against Growltiger.

"All that remains now is for us to plan when and where the assault will take place," stated Genghis.

"Ou'r mole on th'at ship info'med us th'at the _Demagogue _is makin' its w'ay ta West Molesey," Mungojerrie replied, "It shou'd be arrivin' th'ere within three o' fou' days."

"West Molesey is too far into hostile territory for us," Genghis stated, "We need somewhere closer to the city."

"Sorry, but th'at's the b'est we can do r'ight now," said Mungojerrie.

"What about your mole?" asked Genghis, "Couldn't they do something to force the ship to stop somewhere close to the city?"

"I don't kno' 'bout th'at," answered Mungo, "We'd 'ave ta discuss th'at with 'em. We'll tr'y as 'ard as we c'an."

"In that case, I'll start assembling the best in my fleet," said Genghis, "Notify me when the _Demagogue_ comes to port somewhere closer to London than West Molesey."

"W'ill do," Mungojerrie agreed. He then switched off the line. After deleting the log entry of the transmission, he turned to face his colleagues. "Fl'ash, did ya f'ind out anythin' else a'bout the ship tonight."

"Well, Mungo, I probably should have told you about this before you spoke with Genghis," Flash began, "I found out that Growltiger is sending eight of his crew on a mission to Hampton."

"H'ampton?" said Mungo, "W'hy?"

"I'm not sure," answered Flash, "All I managed to overhear was that they would be there for about three or four days."

"Peculiar," said Sharpie, "That's the amount of time it will take the _Demagogue _to travel to West Moseley."

"And West Moseley is just a little south of Hampton," Cyclops added.

"Th'ey mus' be plannin' ta pick th'ose e'ight crewmemb'ers up at West Moseley," Mungojerrie concluded.

"What should we do about them, then?" asked Sharpie.

Mungojerrie sat thinking for a little while. He finally answered "Nothin'. Nothin' at all."

"What?" said Cyclops, "You're just going to let them get away?"

"Yes, but Ah h'ave good re'sons," Mungojerrie elucidated, "If th'ose e'ight crewmemb'ers rend'ezvous with t'he _Demagogue _wh'oile the Siamese a'ttack it, they'll be a'ble to see fo' th'emselves wh'at happens to those w'ho turn down ou'r Boss's inv'itations."

The other three thought about this idea, and they found it to be an ingenious one. Sharpie stated "That sounds like a brilliant, plan, Mungo.

"Who knows?" spoke Cyclops, "We may even pressure those eight into joining our group."

"Pe'haps," Mungo shrugged, "But fo' now, let's fo'cus on deve'loping ou'r all'iance with Genghis."

Several miles southwest of the city, the train running on the South Western Main Line shifted lanes onto the Hampton Court Branch Line. A couple minutes later, it arrived at the Hampton Court railway station. There, all the passengers – seventy-four humans and eight cats – got off the train.

Grumbuskin and the other members in the travelling party made sure to keep their distance between the humans. Once the coast was clear, Grumbuskin signaled to the others to get a move-on.

As they moved through the streets, Growltiger told them "We'll make camp tonight at Hampton Court. Then we'll make our way to Hampton in the morning."

"Why don't we just make our way there now?" asked Tumblebrutus.

"Because it's over a two 2-kilometer walk to Hampton itself," explained Grumbuskin, "And believe me, Tumble, you do not want to walk through the town of East Molesey late at night. Hampton Court is the safest place in this town for us to spend the night."

After travelling north through the city streets for about two hundred meters, the eight cats arrived at Hampton Court. The historical palace's main entrance – the Lion Gates – were sealed up tight, but all eight of the cats managed to squeeze underneath them and made their way to a cluster of trees off to the side.

There, they set up camp for the night. As everyone unrolled their sleeping bags, Dominev looked up and studied the sky for a moment. He announced "Looks like there is a possibility of rain tonight."

Placondgo looked up as well, and after he too examined the sky, stated "It would seem that way. Perhaps we should set up camp in a covered area."

"Good idea," Ralpharite agreed, "One can never really predict the weather."

Once the group got under a covered area, they started to get settled Dominev and Placondgo gathered a bunch of rocks and put them on the ground in a large circle. Then they gathered plenty of sticks and placed them in the circle. They then used a match to start a campfire.

"You think that's enough wood?" asked Placondgo.

"Yeah, the fire should last us through the night," stated Dominev.

While they did this, Grumbuskin sat down and helped himself to a bit of catnip. Ralpharite was still looking over his plans; Coricopat and Tantomile were meditating quietly. Tumblebrutus and Jemima were out lying in the grass, gazing up at the sky. It was pretty cloudy, but they could still see a few stars through in patches of the sky.

"The stars here are not as elegant as the stars back home," Jemima commented, "But the scenario definitely makes up for it. Lying here in the grass is much better than lying on top of some ruined car."

"I'm inclined to agree," Tumblebrutus remarked. There was silence, and then Tumble turned to Jemima and told her "I am glad that you're here, Jem."

She smiled and told him "I'm glad to be here with you, too."

A while later, Grumbuskin ordered everyone to get some rest, as they had a long day ahead of them.


	27. Catching The Prey

Jemima woke up early the next morning. She turned in her sleeping bag, expecting to see Tumblebrutus asleep in his sleeping bag. Instead, she found it empty. She got up and noticed that everyone else was still sleeping peacefully. The fire had gone out, but the ashes of the wood were still warm.

Jemima quietly got out of her sleeping bag and began to search the vicinity. After a few moments of just looking, she called out "Tumble!" over and over again. She was certain that Tumble was alright, but she was still determined to find him.

Before long, she heard a twig snap behind a bush. She turned her attention to the bush and eyed it closely, as if someone was watching her on the other side.

Jemima slowly crept toward the bush, being sure to make no noise. She did indeed see something moving through the cracks in the leaves. After studying it for a moment, she realized that it was Tumblebrutus on the other side. He did not seem to notice her, so she quickly got the idea to surprise him. When she got close enough to the other side, she jumped out around the corner and lunged at him.

She collided with Tumble, catching him almost completely off his guard. Jemima ended up sitting on him. He seemed tense, but when he realized who it was pounced on him, he laughed. She soon joined in.

"Good morning, Jem," he smiled up at her.

"Good morning, Tumble," she returned as she helped him to his feet, "Why are you up this early?"

"Just doing a little hunting," he answered.

"Hunting for what?" inquired Jemima.

"Have you ever heard the expression 'the early bird gets the worm'?" Tumblebrutus responded. She nodded "Yes."

"Well, it would appear there's a lesser known expression," he stated, "That would be 'The early cat gets the bird.'"

He gestured over his shoulder to several pigeons that were on the ground, searching the area for food. Jemima noticed them and commented "They don't even seem to notice us."

"Good, that's the idea," Tumblebrutus told her, "How about we catch us some pigeon?"

"We already have enough packed food to last us for over a week," she said.

"I know, but think of them as a second course for breakfast," he suggested, "On the plus side, we'd be getting some exercise."

"Alright," she agreed, "Let's do it."

The two of them lowered themselves to the ground and eyed the pigeons closely. One of them strayed off from the rest of the group and started walking over to the bushes.

"Would you care to do the honors?" she offered.

Tumblebrutus nodded and slowly crawled on the ground to approach the pigeon. He lay perfectly still and waited until the doomed bird turned its back to him. When it did turn around, Tumble lunged at it. In the span of three seconds, he seized the bird by its wings, forced it onto the ground, and tore its lungs out.

The bird died almost immediately, but its wings and talons kept twitching for a few seconds. Tumblebrutus took his freshly caught prey in his mouth and went back over to Jemima.

"Impressive," she remarked.

Tumblebrutus dropped the bird in front of her and nudged it a little closer, saying "This one's for you."

"Thanks, Tumble," she said gratefully as she accepted the bird, "I'll catch one for you, too."

Tumblebrutus smirked as he watched Jemima lower herself to the ground and stalk another pigeon that had strayed from the rest of its flock. She made sure to approach slowly and to avoid making any noise. Once she was close enough, she pounced on the bird. Then she quickly seized it by the wings, forced it onto the ground, and tore out the lungs.

Jemima took her prey in her mouth and took it back over to Tumble. She gave him her bird and said "That's one for you and one for me."

He smiled at her, saying "I have a feeling that this is going to be an exciting few days."

She agreed with him and commented "It's only the first day, and here we are, prowling for our prey in the yard behind the Lion Gates of Hampton Court."

Just then, they heard a clock strike seven o'clock in the morning.

"Grumbuskin said that we'd be leaving at around eight o'clock," Tumblebrutus recalled.

"Should we head back to the campsite?" Jemima proposed.

"Are the others still asleep?" he asked.

"Yes," she said, "They're sleeping soundly, but I think they'll be up soon."

"How about we catch a few more pigeons, and then we'll get back to the campsite?" he offered.

"That sounds like a great idea," she stated, "Would you like to take the next one?"

Tumblebrutus nodded and slowly lowered himself to the ground again. He waited until another pigeon strayed off from the flock. He was about to move in for the kill, but instead, he whipped around and pounced Jemima instead, catching her completely off her guard. The two of them playfully rolled in the grass, laughing as if they were still very young kittens. They were still kittens somewhat, but they were not very far from adulthood.

After rolling around in the grass for about a minute, Jemima wound up lying on top of Tumble's stomach. The two of them looked deep into each other's eyes and pecked each other on the lips. Then they shared a kiss that lasted longer than just a fraction of a second.

When they came apart, Tumble said "I have a feeling that we're going to have fun on this mission."

"I'm inclined to agree," Jemima smirked, as she repeated the same words he had said the previous night, "We should enjoy our time out here while it lasts."

"Good idea," he stated as he got back onto his feet, "Now, let's go hunt!"

About twenty minutes later, he and Jemima had caught and killed six more pigeons. They decided to get one each for everybody else.

Once they finished hunting, they took their kill and returned to the campsite. When they got there, everyone else was already awake. Placondgo and Dominev had started a second fire, and they were in the process of hooking some ham and biscuits for everyone. Ralpharite was sharpening his claws with a thick branch. Grumbuskin was talking with Coricopat and Tantomile. He was telling the twins about how his father had disappeared shortly after he came of age. Both of them actually were very interested in the subject.

"I still don't know what happened to him or where he is," he told them, "I've practically given up hope that he's even alive."

He paused for a moment and looked at the ground around his feet. Then he slowly looked up at the twins and said "I don't suppose that… that… it's possible… you can sense his mind?"

"We are capable of many things," Coricopat stated, "But sorting out hundreds of minds to locate a certain one is virtually impossible."

"We are not even certain what emotions we should be on the lookout for," stated Tantomile.

Grumbuskin shrugged and said "Perhaps you should seek out the thoughts of an old tom that has been through a lot in his life. He may have the pain of losing his entire family on his mind. You should probably search out anyone of that sort. But because of how complicated it could be, I say that you should not even bother. It would be a waste of your ability to chase after a phantom."

Coricopat and Tantomile sympathized with Grumbuskin's situation. The two of them had never really felt close to anyone, even their parents Enbiota and Bustopher Jones. However, they always had each other, and they were grateful that Tumblebrutus had sought out their help for this mission.

Grumbuskin saw two figures in the distance approaching the campsite. When they got closer, he realized that they were Tumblebrutus and Jemima. They were carrying eight freshly caught pigeons.

"Ah! I see that you two have already busied yourselves this morning," Grumbuskin remarked as the group's two youngest members got closer.

"Indeed we have, sir," said Jemima as she and Tumblebrutus brought their prey near the fire.

"How about a little appetizer before the actual meal?" Tumblebrutus stated as he offered both Dominev and Placondgo a pigeon.

The two toms graciously took them and examined the kill.

"Very fine specimens," commented Placondgo, "I think these will do very well."

"The pigeons in Hampton are very good this time of year," stated Dominev, "These would go well with any meal of the day."

"What do you mean by 'this time of year?'" asked Jemima.

"In the summer, they typically taste a little sweeter and meatier," Dominev clarified, "I'm not entirely certain why that is; there are a lot of different deciding factors."

"I think it's because they change their diet around this time," Placondgo theorized, "In the summer, worms come above the ground far more often, and therefore, they are hunted by birds more frequently. In the winter, the worms prefer to stay underground. Perhaps the worms themselves are the reason for the sweet and meaty taste."

"That's not a bad hypothesis," said Ralpharite.

"Well, we can discuss it over breakfast," stated Grumbuskin, "Let's just eat for now. The sooner we finish eating, the sooner we can leave for Hampton."

The eight cats quickly ate the ham and biscuits that Placondgo and Dominev had cooked, along with some dried fruit and three of the pigeons. They decided to save the rest of them for later.

Once breakfast was over, the group packed up their supplies and headed out through the Lion Gates before Hampton Court opened up for tours that morning.

(Note: It's a good thing I've actually been to Hampton Court; otherwise I would have had no idea how to write this last scene.)

Grumbuskin – who was walking at the front of the group – had taken out his map to determine the best route to Hampton.

"The distance to Hampton is only about 1.2 miles from here," he announced, "If we keep walking at our current pace, we should get there in a little less than two hours."

"Then perhaps we should walk a little more quickly," suggested Ralpharite, "The Captain would want us to begin our search for his children as soon as possible. Hampton is a huge city, and we'll only have a few days to search all of it. The faster we get there, the sooner we can begin."

"An excellent idea, Ralph," stated Grumbuskin.

The eight cats ran for most of the way, occasionally stopping to catch their breath. Just a little over an hour later, they arrived at the edge of Hampton.

Once they arrived in Hampton, they started their search. They began by asking the local cats if they knew anything about this "Roshedam" that Baltrow had told them about. Several of the more respectable cats politely responded "no" and bid them good day. Many of the others rudely responded "no" and left without another word spoken. The one thing they all had in common was that none of them had ever heard of Roshedam.

Every time they talked to someone, Grumbuskin turned to Coricopat and Tantomile and asked them if they sensed any dishonesty or trickery from that person. And every time, the twins confirmed that whoever they encountered was telling the truth.

By eight o'clock that night, they had searched through a quarter of the whole city, but they had no luck. By then, it was time for them to put that matter aside and make their way to the negotiations with Vearhin.

As they made their way to the Bell Inn, Tumblebrutus walked alongside Grumbuskin and asked him "How large an interest does Vearhin have in the market?"

"He handles business deals across much of the southern shore of the country to here," replied Grumbuskin, "Why do you ask?"

"Maybe he'll have some idea as to where Growltiger's children are," Tumblebrutus suggested.

Grumbuskin thought about this and shrugged "I suppose we could ask him at the negotiations. Couldn't hurt, after all."

After that was said, the group of eight headed towards the Bell Inn without further delay.

Back in London, the _Demagogue _was passing through Castelnau. It had already made great progress towards West Molesey. Its progress could have been better if it had traveled during the day, but during the day, all the cat pirate crews had to hide their ships to avoid being spotted by humans. That was the one piece of seaman (or rather, seacat) protocol that all sailor cats adhered to: they all made sure humans could not see them on their ships during the day. At night, they were far less humans around, and there ships looked far less conspicuous.

But if Growltiger had his way, the ship would have continued sailing during the day. In his mind, the faster the ship got to West Molesey, the closer he would be to his children.

At that moment, he was standing alone on the top deck of the _Demagogue_. He gazed at several tall, luminous buildings as he let his mind wander. He was busy thinking about the future. What would be the first thing his children would tell him after almost a year of estrangement? Would they be glad to see him? Would they resent him? Would they even want to come near him? Did they even think of him as their father anymore?

So many questions were laid down on his conscience. He tried to sort them out, but they burdened him too greatly.

Finally, Griddlebone arrived just in time to stop him from slipping into proverbial madness.

"Is everything alright?" she asked him.

"Yes," he replied, "And no. Grida, I'm just left wandering… Do you think our children will actually want to see us?"

She seemed astounded by that question. "Of course I think that! I mean, there is a possibility that they may still hold a grudge against us right now, but I'm sure Grumbuskin and the others will encourage them to come home with us."

Growltiger sighed, saying "I certainly hope you're right. I think I'm mostly just worried because I have no idea how to predict their reactions. I didn't even spend enough time with them to know THAT."

Griddlebone patted Growltiger on the shoulder and told him "Everything will work out, Growltiger. I'm sure it will. Just have a little faith in our children, and in yourself. They will come back. Then we'll all be together again."

Growltiger looked at his mate and smiled affectionately. He was very grateful for her words of comfort.

A few moments later, Najalim came out onto the bridge and approached the Bravo Cat. He asked him "Captain, are you available at the moment?"

Growltiger turned to his Science Officer and replied "Yes, Najalim. What do you need?"

"Sir, Quaftil and I just discovered something remarkable," Najalim reported, "I must ask you to come down to the Infirmary immediately."

"Why?" asked Growltiger "Has someone been injured? Did my last physical reveal any signs of a disease?"

"No, sir," replied Najalim, "It's nothing like that. It has to do with Farios."

"Alright then," Growltiger held out his arm to the stairwell, "Lead the way, Najalim."

The Science Officer led his Captain down to the Infirmary. There, Quaftil was busy studying the contents of a few labeled test tubes.

When he heard the door to the Infirmary open, he turned around to see who had entered. "Ah, Captain. Glad you could come."

"What's all this about, Quaftil?" queried Growltiger.

"See for yourself, Captain," the Medical Officer replied, gesturing to a microscope on his desk.

Growltiger approached the microscope and gazed into it using his only eye. There, he saw an interesting chemical reaction taking place. Red blood cells were clustered together around three unfamiliar types of molecules.

"What is this?" he asked the others as he adjusted the microscope to get a better visual.

"That, sir, is a slide of Farios' blood magnified three hundred times," replied Quaftil.

"But there's more than just blood cells here," Growltiger noted.

"Indeed there is," stated Najalim, picking up four different test tubes off a rack on his desk. He walked over to Growltiger and told him "Take a look at these, Captain."

Growltiger turned to his Science Officer and visually studied the four test tubes. One of them was red; one was a light brown; the other two were colorless.

As Najalim handed the four flasks to Growltiger, Quaftil explained "We've been running a few tests on the blood samples we collected from Farios. Our first test revealed a strange contamination in his bloodstream. In our second test, we were able to strain out the alcohol from the whiskey he consumed at the gala in his bloodstream. But we also managed to filter out two anomalous substances from his red blood cells."

Growltiger handed the test tubes with the red liquid and the light brown back to Quaftil and held up the two colorless vials, one in each of his front paws. He asked Najalim "Is that what these two are?"

"Yes, sir," replied Najalim, "It took a lot of background research, but we've finally managed to determine what they are. The one you're holding in your right paw is Gamma-Hydroxybutyric acid, which is also known as sodium oxybate, or just GHB."

"It's a type of drug that is used in a lot of anti-depressant therapies," Quaftil clarified, "It's been illegalized in many countries, but it is still available for medical purposes."

"That exact same description could be applied to the other substance," Najalim commented.

"I see," said Growltiger. Holding up the other flask, he asked "And what about this one?"

"That would be methylenedioxymethamphetamine," responded the Science Officer.

Upon seeing the blank expression across his Captain's face, Najalim quickly added in "It's also known as MDMA, but humans commonly refer to it as 'ecstasy.'"

Growltiger was surprised to hear that. "Are you saying that Farios was on ecstasy that night?"

"It would appear that way, sir," stated Quaftil, "But we searched through his room. There's no sign that he possesses any ecstasy at all. Nor does he possess GHB. In fact, I looked over his medical record. He's never had any type of drug addiction in the past."

"Then what was it doing in his blood?" asked the Bravo Cat.

"We've developed an unpleasant but plausible theory for that, sir," said Najalim, "We managed to find the glass he drank from that night. We examined its contents, and we discovered that it had been laced beforehand with both substances."

"Why would someone spike Farios' drink with two different types of drugs?" queried Growltiger.

"Alas, we don't have any theories as to that," said Quaftil, "But whoever did spike his drink must have good resources and connections. Believe me, Captain; these drugs are very hard to come by."

"What exactly are their effects?" asked Growltiger.

"Both of them induce euphoria and an excessive sense of thrill and activity," explained Najalim, "Both of them can bring about all sorts of trouble. They can cause hallucinations, mental breakdowns, psychosis, and a delusional state of mind."

"But together, they can do far worse," Quaftil continued the explanation, "Together they could cause someone to temporarily revert to their primal side."

"I believe that Farios is the proof of that," Najalim added in.

Growltiger was especially alarmed to hear that last statement. He spoke quietly to his Medical Officer and Science Officer "Are you telling me that Farios was deliberately poisoned… to behave the way he did?"

"It would seem that way, sir," Quaftil nodded, "He may have been a little drunk, but the MDMA and the HGB are to blame for the words he spoke and the actions he committed on the bridge. He was barely even in control of his own body when this happened."

"Just how much of these drugs were in his blood at the time?" asked Growltiger.

"Well, some of it has deteriorated over the past three days," answered Najalim, "But it was definitely an overdose of both of them."

"In fact, I'm surprised that it didn't kill him," stated Quaftil, "However, we still haven't the slightest idea who poisoned him."

"Actually, that's not entirely true." Najalim cut in, "I recognized the glass he was drinking from that night. It was a type of glass that is only used on this ship. That being said, Farios could only have been poisoned by a member of this ship's crew."

There was a long interval of silence in the room. Then Growltiger handed the two vials back to Najalim and declared "I'm going to have Bill Bailey search the ship. I'll tell him to search for any signs of those drugs. In the meantime, I want the two of you to look over the crew manifest. Sort out anyone that has a history of drug usage at some point or other. That should at least give us a place to start an investigation."

"It will be done, Captain," stated Quaftil, "Off the top of my head, I can place our First Officer on that list."

"Grumbuskin?" said Growltiger, "Why?"

"Doesn't he have a slight addiction to catnip?" said Quaftil.

"Well, yes, but he's cutting way back on it," answered Growltiger, "Besides, he's several miles southwest of here. Even if I did want to investigate him, we'd have to wait until he returned."

"Alright, sir," Najalim agreed, "We'll excuse him from the investigation."

"Good," Growltiger stated. He walked out of the room, but before headed down the hallway, he turned around and stood in the doorframe. He told the two toms "Gentlemen, I want you to take this task very seriously. If it turns out that Farios is actually innocent of that crime, I want to know."

"We will overlook nothing, sir," Quaftil assured his Captain.

"Good," said Growltiger. As he headed down the hallway, Najalim called out "We'll keep you posted!"


	28. Earning Respect

Note: Sorry I forgot to update yesterday. I know that I've been on a role, but I just needed a short one-day break from fanfiction. Plus, I thought it would be nice to spend some time to honor those who died in the 9/11 terrorist attacks ten years ago from yesterday. It's really amazing how all that happened ten whole years ago. I mean, I can still remember how the World Trade Center's destruction was virtually the only story covering the press for the entire following week.

Second Note: By the way, a few may view this chapter as containing more adult material, as it has something to do with underage drinking. But don't worry; that isn't as bad as it sounds! At any rate, here's the next chapter.

Back in Hampton, Grumbuskin, Tumblebrutus, and the others were making their way to the center of the town. They soon arrived at the Bell Inn. As they neared the hotel, Grumbuskin explained the plan to everyone.

"We'll go around to the side of the building and slip in through the secret entrance," he told them, "Vearhin will be in the backroom with some of his men. He'll have a dolly loaded with crates waiting for us. I will do all the talking. Once we have the shipment, we'll ask Vearhin if he knows anything about Roshedam."

"Then what?" asked Ralpharite.

"Then we'll work from there," Grumbuskin said simply, "The negotiations may take a little longer; they may not. It will all depend on how things work out."

Once the plan was all drafted out, the eight cats approached the alleyway and walked all the way to a hidden door in the back of the building. Grumbuskin gestured to the others to stand back as he stepped up to the door. There, he placed his ear to the door and tapped it six times rapidly. He paused and then tapped the door another six times, giving a rest interval of one second in-between each knock.

After that, the door was opened. It was answered by a tall, young sailor cat. This cat smelled of rotten fish, but had a pleasant look about him.

"Ah, you've arrived," he commented, "Come inside, please."

Just before he stepped inside, Grumbuskin turned to Ralpharite, Dominev, and Placondgo and gave them a nod of the head. Tumble, Jemima, Coricopat, and Tantomile were not sure how to interpret this, but they just followed the others inside.

The room on the other side of the door was loaded with crates. They were all organized into different types of merchandise. The sailor cat led the group through a labyrinth of tall piles.

Soon, they arrived in the center of the room. There they encountered a few other sailor cats that smelled of dead fish. An elderly scarlet and black tom stood next to a trolley loaded with crates.

As soon as everyone was in the middle of the room, Grumbuskin shouted "Now!"

He drew his knife from his belt, ran over to the black and scarlet tom, grabbed him, forced him against the pile of crates, and held his knife to his throat.

Before the other sailors could react, they were disarmed by Ralpharite, Placondgo, and Dominev. The three junior officers from the _Demagogue_ presented their weapons in an equally hostile manner.

Tumblebrutus and the other three Jellicles did nothing. They did not remember Grumbuskin telling them that anything of this sort would ever happen.

"What… what is the meaning of this?" gasped the elderly scarlet and black tom.

"We could see right through this new little meeting of yours, Vearhin," sneered Grumbuskin.

"I have no idea what you are talking about," stated Vearhin, looking incredibly worried that something was going to go wrong.

"Oh, don't play dumb with me, 'sir,'" Grumbuskin responded, "Are you insulting my intelligence?"

"No, of course not, Grumbs!" said the elderly tom, "I'd… I'd never do that!"

"Then how **dare **you and your men invite us here and be so friendly!" yelled Grumbuskin.

Vearhin did not respond; he looked too stunned to speak. But then, his look of shock quickly faded away and he did something that Tumblebrutus definitely did not expect: he started **laughing**.

Soon, Grumbuskin started laughing, too. Ralpharite, Dominev, and Placondgo joined in, as did the other sailor cats. They were laughing so hard that they could barely stand still.

Tumblebrutus, Jemima, Coricopat, and Tantomile all looked profoundly confused. Tumble whispered to the twins "What the hell just happened?"

"We do not know," answered Tantomile, "But we never sensed any hostility resonating off of Grumbuskin or the others."

"In fact, we sensed something much different," Coricopat told the younger tom, "We sensed… amusement."

Grumbuskin released Vearhin; both of them were still laughing uncontrollably. The _Demagogue_'s First Officer turned back to the Jellicles and stated "Right, you are, Cori! This was one damn amusing moment!"

"Sir, what was that all about?" Tumblebrutus inquired.

Grumbuskin, still chuckling, explained "A few months ago, Vearhin and his crew played a good prank on me when I came to pick up a shipment. They practically scared me half to death."

"Why?" asked Jemima, "What did they do?"

"Vearhin faked his death in front of me," Grumbuskin clarified, "You see, my first Captain always was something of a practical joker. One time when I came down here to pick up the shipment, he pretended to have a heart attack right in the middle of the negotiations. And then his crewmates were accusing **me** of murdering him. I tried to tell them that I had nothing to do with it, but they would not listen. They surrounded me with the apparent intent to kill. Just when it seemed like my blood would soon end up staining the ground around us, all of the other sailors started guffawing and Vearhin got back up. That's when I realized I was the victim of another of Vearhin's infamous practical jokes."

"What happened after that?" asked Tumble, getting a little more interested.

"Well, I ended up laughing, too," said Grumbuskin, "But I swore to get even with Vearhin."

"Looks like you did, Grumbs," remarked Vearhin, "I must say, that was a brilliant gag."

"Well, I did learn from the best," Grumbuskin commented, looking in the direction of the black and scarlet tom.

"Thanks," said Vearhin, "Shall we talk business now?"

"Oh, yes, let's," Grumbuskin agreed.

After Grumbuskin filled out the appropriate paperwork to have the crates transferred into his custody, Vearhin asked him "Is there anything else you require?"

"Actually, there is," Grumbuskin replied, "We've been in Hampton all day, and we've been searching everywhere for a cat who goes by the name 'Roshedam.' I don't suppose you know of him?"

Vearhin almost seemed surprised to hear that question. He replied "As a matter of fact, I do. He's in the pub at this very moment."

Grumbuskin and the others seemed to feel a bit more confident in the swift successfulness of their secondary mission. He asked Vearhin "May we speak with him?"

"I don't see why not," stated the elderly tom, "When would you like to?"

"Right now, if at all possible," responded Grumbuskin.

"Then come with me," Vearhin turned around and led the group through another maze of tall piles of crates. Soon, they came to a door labeled "The Bell at Hampton Pub." Vearhin opened the door and held it open for everyone else.

On the other side, there was a cat-sized pub. Based on its size, and how there were no windows anywhere except near the tops of the walls, it must have been directly underneath the actual human-sized pub. Inside, there were many cats who were drinking, smoking, playing cards, dancing, and swapping jokes with their friends. There were almost as many queens as there were toms.

"Come with me," Vearhin led the group through the noise-filled room.

As they walked through the energetic pub, Tumblebrutus asked "How is it that the humans upstairs are not able to hear anything down here?"

Ralpharite responded "The same reason we cannot hear them: the floor between them and us has been sound-proofed. You could call it a little insurance policy."

"Fascinating," commented Jemima.

Soon, Vearhin led the group to a table where a dark yellow and brown striped tom was talking with a pair of queens. He was holding a half-full glass of beer in one of his paws. The elderly tom tapped the striped tom on the shoulder and said "Roshedam, there's someone who's here to speak with you."

The striped tom sighed and asked without turning around "Does it have to be now, Vearhin?"

"Yes," said the elderly tom, "That 'someone' just so happens to be Grumbuskin, Growltiger's First Officer."

When Roshedam heard those words, he quickly spun around. When he saw that Grumbuskin was indeed standing in front of him, he stated "In that case, I'm all yours."

He turned back to the queens and told them "Ladies, we'll have to finish this conversation another time. Right now, I need to discuss business."

The two queens seemed disappointed, but they agreed to leave Roshedam alone so that he could see to his work. Once they were out of his hair (or fur, rather), Roshedam had a pair of waiters rearrange two more tables so that they were directly connected to the one he was sitting at. Then a total of ten chairs were placed around this table. Roshedam, Vearhin, Grumbuskin, Tumblebrutus, Jemima, Coricopat, Tantomile, Dominev, Placondgo, and Ralpharite each sat down in one of them.

Roshedam drained his glass of beer and spoke to Growltiger's Bucko Mate: "It is an honor to finally meet you, Grumbuskin."

"You've heard of me?" said the black and grey striped tom.

"Yes, word of your deeds reaches my ears as much as your Boss's deeds do," stated the bar patron, "I am required to know all about you, as I was notified that I would be meeting with you at some point."

"Then you know why we're here?" assumed Grumbuskin.

"Indeed, I do," nodded Roshedam. He paused for a moment, and then looked around the room to make sure no one was eavesdropping. Then he whispered "You're here to pick up Growltiger's children."

"That is correct," said Grumbuskin, "Where are they?"

"I've put them up at my place," Roshedam replied, "They're good kids. Actually, they're not really kids anymore. In fact, they're very close to their coming of age."

"Well, regardless of that, Growltiger wants us to bring them home as soon as possible," Grumbuskin clarified, "Can you take us to see them?"

"Certainly," said Roshedam, "But first…" He turned to a passing waiter and stopped him. He ordered him "Bring over a round of drinks for me and my associates here. Will this be enough to cover my bill?" As he asked that question, he slipped the cat waiter fifty pounds.

The waiter smiled and replied "Sir, this is more than enough."

Roshedam returned the smile and told him "In that case, keep the change for yourself."

The waiter agreed. A minute later, he and two of his colleagues came by with ten glasses of fine ale.

Tumblebrutus whispered to Ralpharite "What's going on? Why is Roshedam being so courteous?"

"It's an old tradition from the feline navy referred to as a test of strength," Ralpharite responded, "Each of us will propose a toast to a different thing, but whoever proposes the toast will be the only one who drinks. It will go on that way until everyone has had their drink. Those who accept the drinks, Roshedam will trust. Those who do not, he will ask to leave."

"But Jemima and I are not even old enough to drink," Tumblebrutus pointed out.

Grumbuskin shrugged and said "I guess he'll make an exception for you two."

Once all ten mugs were set down on the table, Roshedam picked up his mug and spoke: "I would like to officially thank all of you for sitting down with me tonight. It's not often that I have company in this bar, even though I am rich. So I would like to raise my glass to all of you."

With that, Roshedam promptly drank the contents of his mug down in one gulp. He hiccupped once when he was finished, but he retained his coordination and turned to Vearhin. He stated "Sir, you go next."

The elderly scarlet and black tom nodded and picked up his mug. He spoke to the others: "I would like to acknowledge the work of those who gave me the inspiration to open up my marketing empire: Growltiger, Grumbuskin, and the rest of their crew. Here's to them."

Then he drank down his glass. When he was done, he turned to Grumbuskin and told him "You're next, Grumbs."

"Yes, sir," Grumbuskin smirked as he picked up his glass. He proclaimed "I would like to salute this pub. It is one of the finest in the entire country. In fact, I'm thinking that someday I will open a bar of my own in London. And here's to those that make that sort of thing possible!"

Grumbuskin swiftly drank his glass, as well. When he was finished, he looked at Ralpharite and told him "When that day comes, I could sure use a tom that has multiple resources, Ralph."

Ralpharite smiled and said "I would be honored to assist you, sir. And on that note, I would like to raise my glass to everyone who places a high value on their intelligence; that it may serve them all well to the end of their days!"

It went on in this manner until only Tumblebrutus and Jemima had not drunken.

Coricopat and just had his drink, and now he was forced to choose between Jemima or Tumble. Finally, he decided to make it Tumblebrutus.

Tumble tentatively picked up his glass, and started to raise it into the air, but then he started to lower it. He looked up at Roshedam and told him "Sir, I… I don't think I can do this."

Roshedam frowned. "Why not?"

"Well, sir, I do not believe I am old enough to consume this much alcohol in one sitting," Tumblebrutus replied.

Roshedam stared at Tumble for a moment, and then he started laughing out loud. He laughed so hard that he almost passed out from oxygen deprivation. When he stopped laughing, he asked the young boatswain "Whatever would give you that notion, my lad?"

"Well, sir, I am technically still an adolescent," Tumblebrutus pointed out, "And I'm unacquainted with the psychological effects of alcohol."

Roshedam folded his arms and leaned back in his chair. He seemed understanding of Tumble's position, but a little disappointed as well. He told him "If you do not wish to drink, then you may bypass."

Tumblebrutus nodded, inwardly breathing a sigh of relief.

That is until Jemima spoke up "I'll do it, then."

Tumblebrutus turned to her and said "Jem, I hope you're joking."

She shook her head and whispered to him "Tumble, I know how you feel. I don't like this one bit, either, but if accepting these drinks can get us to Growltiger's children any faster, I believe that it is at least worth one try."

Jemima and Tumblebrutus had a brief argument that none of the others could hear, and it eventually won in Jemima's favor once Tumblebrutus was convinced that she was not going to change her mind. He still did not like the idea of his queenfriend – who was younger than even he was – consuming alcohol.

Before she picked up her glass, Tumblebrutus whispered into her ear "Just promise me two things: You'll never do this again, and that if you throw up, please do not do it on me."

She smirked and nodded her head in agreement. She then picked up the glass, raised it up, and announced "I would like to salute all of those that go to incredible lengths to find a peaceful, diplomatic solution in times of war and violence; that their good intentions be successful and less blood be spilled."

Jemima then slowly lifted her mug to her lips. She was started to have second thoughts, but she knew it was too late. Moving as quickly as possible, she emptied her glass's contents into her mouth and swallowed quickly. The beverage tasted so terrible that she almost spilled her glass, but she managed to get it all down.

When she was finished, she coughed violently and dropped her glass. It shattered on the ground, but Jemima managed to stay conscious.

The others all cheered for her; they were proud of her for her resilience and what she had toasted to.

"Are you arlight?" Tumblebrutus asked his queenfriend.

She slowly nodded and coughed again. She said "I'm fine… but I'm never, ever, **ever **tasting that dirty, disgusting liquid ever again!"

Roshedam clapped his paws together. He told Jemima "My dear young lady, never have I seen such determination. I must commend you for that."

"Thanks," Jemima nodded, still partially struggling to keep her head clear.

Tumblebrutus turned back to his glass. It was the only one that was still full. He knew now that if he still refused to drink, he would portray himself as a weak coward, as even Jemima – who was younger and petite – had dared to force a glass of ale down.

All eyes were focused on him. Then he knew it was time to prove his boldness to Roshedam. He picked up and raised it high, announcing "Here's to all the civilized cats in this world; that they may all be rewarded for their everyday acts of courtesy to their friends and neighbors. Here's to those who are uncivilized as well; that they may all experience a change of heart to become just and good as those who are."

Everyone seemed pleased with this toast. Tumblebrutus looked at the glass, trying to imagine that it was holding something other than beer. But that did not work out.

_Come on, Tumble. Focus. _Tumble thought to himself. After a long while of hesitation, Tumblebrutus slowly brought the glass up to his lips and started to tilt the glass. The room-temperature liquid passed into his mouth. It tasted horrid, like something in-between a burnt champagne bottle cork and leather, but he ignored the taste. He made sure to swallow every drop of it.

Once it was done, he placed his glass on the table. He made sure not to drop it.

Sure enough, the moment he set the glass down, everyone started cheering loudly for him. He had just proven how far he would go to come through for Growltiger's wishes.

Roshedam himself was deeply impressed. Once he gave the staff three pounds to compensate them for the glass Jemima had inadvertently broken, he told his company "I believe you have all proven yourselves before me tonight. Now I will take you to see Dawlimer, Scurtena, and Bellazni."


	29. Discoveries Are Made

Note: I just noticed that this fanfic is now my longest one yet at over 85,000 words! It beat out the last holder of that title - "Choices" - at slightly over 79,000 words! Truthfully, I had no idea that this fanfic would last so long. But, oh well! It's too late to undo what I've done!

"There's just one matter of business we need to see to first," said Grumbuskin, "Then I would like you to take us to see them as soon as possible."

"I shall," Roshedam agreed, "Do whatever you need to do beforehand."

Grumbuskin, Ralpharite, Dominev, Placondgo, and Vearhin returned to the pub's back room. There, they finished the last business of transferring the shipment of goods from Vearhin's custody into Grumbuskin's custody.

Coricopat, Tantomile, Tumblebrutus, and Jemima had stayed with Roshedam. Jemima was still trying her best not to throw up. Tumble held her close to comfort her.

"I'm hoping I'll never have to taste that horrible drink every again," she whispered, looking up at her tomfriend.

"I know how you feel," he told her, "I have no desire to taste another glass of that stuff, either."

Roshedam smiled at them and said "Well, if it makes you feel any better, both of you have yet to have a glass of actual ale."

Jemima and Tumblebrutus looked at him in confusion. The latter asked "What are you talking about?"

"What you drank was not beer or any other type of alcoholic beverage," Roshedam clarified, "It was ale-flavored club soda. It looks, smells, and tastes a lot like real ale, but there was no alcohol in it whatsoever."

(Note: There really are such drinks. I'm not making this up.)

"You mean we drank a beverage composed of artificial alcohol?" Jemima queried.

"No, only you two drank it," Roshedam corrected her, "Everyone else – including your two friends here and myself – consumed genuine ale. Though I greatly prefer the real deal to that synthetic crap. You see, when I was talking to the waiter, I simply gave him specific instructions to bring the two of you a glass of that synthetic ale."

"Why did you do that?" inquired Jemima.

Roshedam scoffed and replied "I may be a little haughty and reckless, but I definitely know better than to give actual alcoholic drinks to adolescent cats."

"Why didn't you tell anyone else that?" asked Tumble.

"My logic is simple," stated Roshedam, "If the others thought you had actual consumed an alcoholic drink, they would feel confident that you had gained my respect and passed my little test. You have indeed done both very well, I might add."

Knowing this seemed to make Jemima and Tumblebrutus feel a little more at ease; the revolting taste of that synthetic alcohol still lingered on their tongues, but they were relieved that they would not be experiencing a hangover any time soon.

"Believe me, if that actual was ale, at least one of you would be throwing up right now," Roshedam smirked as he leaned back in his chair, "That was my initial reaction when I had my first drink of the stuff. And now I've come to like it."

"That's fascinating," said Tumble, though he was not really all that interested.

While they weren't looking, Roshedam smirked. He had actually lied. Tumblebrutus and Jemima had indeed drunken genuine alcohol. But he felt that if they were under the impression that they had consumed artificial alcohol instead that they would feel a little better. After all, he knew he could get into a lot of trouble for giving them real alcohol, but making up that story solved his problem. He deeply respected them for their boldness.

After a few minutes, Ralpharite returned to the pub. He told Tumblebrutus, Jemima, Coricopat, Tantomile, and Roshedam "Grumbuskin wanted me to inform you that we're ready to move out."

"Excellent," Roshedam stood up and pushed his chair into the table. The Jellicles did likewise and followed Ralpharite to the back room. The garage door had been opened and Vearhin's men were pushing the trolley of crates outside with the aid of Dominev and Placondgo.

Grumbuskin was outside talking with Vearhin. The latter told the former "We'll follow you as far as Roshedam's house with the shipment. Then my men and I will return to our vessel at West Molesey."

"Oh? You're docked at West Molesey?" said Grumbuskin, "That's where our Captain will be picking us up. Perhaps you'll run into him."

"That's unlikely," stated Vearhin, "Tomorrow, my crew and I will first be making a stop at East Molesey. That's the only potential place where we'd meet up with him. Right after that, we'll be heading down the river towards Shepperton in the opposite direction."

"Well, if you see him before he arrives at West Molesey, let him know that we've found his children," Grumbuskin requested.

"We certainly will," Vearhin agreed.

Once everybody was back outside, Roshedam told them "My house is at Belgrade Road a little west of here. It should only be about a couple minutes' worth of walking until we get there."

"Alright, then let's move," announced Growltiger.

The cats started making their way down Thames Road. They took many precautions to ensure that they would not encounter many humans along the way. After all, the sight of over a dozen cats gathered around a trolley of crates was not exactly an everyday sight!

After walking for a few blocks, they came to Belgrade Road. They turned into that road and went down to a tall building on the left side of the street.

"Well, here we are," Roshedam announced to the others, "Here, I'll show you where you can hide the trolley."

There were two dumpsters in the alley next to the building. The trolley fit nicely in-between them and the cats used a large, black tarp to cover it up. As a result, the crates were kept nicely hidden.

"Now that that's taken care of, I'll take you all inside," said Roshedam.

He climbed on top of the dumpster and turned his attention to the fire escape ladder. Once he was properly focused, he ran toward the ladder and jumped. He grabbed onto it with both paws and started climbing up. Once he was on the first platform, he looked down towards the others and told them "Come on up!"

Dominev went next. He took his equipment pack and handed it to Placondgo. Then he focused his attention on the fire escape ladder, ran towards it, jumped, and grabbed on. Then he started climbing up. When he made it to the top, he turned around and Placondgo tossed him his equipment pack. Placondgo also tossed his own equipment pack; Dominev caught both of them. Free from his burden, Placondgo allowed himself to focus on the ladder, he ran and lunged towards it, and grabbed onto it in midair.

As Ralpharite, Tumblebrutus, Jemima, Coricopat, and Tantomile prepared to follow thereafter, Grumbuskin told Vearhin "I guess our work here is done. I'll see you again in about two months."

"Very well," agreed Vearhin, smiling mischievously, "And I suggest that you be prepared for our next meeting; I just **may **decide to try out a new practical joke."

Grumbuskin chuckled and told his former Captain "I will be prepared for anything, sir. Make no mistake of that."

By the time Vearhin and his men had left the alley, everyone except Grumbuskin had made it onto the fire escape platform.

"We're ready when you are, sir!" Tumblebrutus called down to the black and grey striped tom.

Grumbuskin nodded and climbed onto the dumpster. He gazed on the ladder hanging in front of him. It was only a short way away, but it would not be hard for him to miscalculate the distance to jump.

Before he tossed over his equipment pack, he took out his stash of catnip and inhaled a few small leaves to calm his mind. After that, he put away the catnip and tossed his equipment pack towards Ralpharite, who caught it with both of his front paws. Once that was taken care of, Grumbuskin focused his attention on the ladder, ran forward, and lunged towards it. He grabbed onto the bar with both of his front paws, but one of them was sweaty and slipped.

However, the other paw remained holding onto the ladder very tightly. Grumbuskin wiped his sweaty paw off on his coat and started climbing up the ladder. When he made his way to the platform, Jemima and Tumblebrutus helped him up.

"Thanks," he told them as Ralpharite handed him his equipment pack. He turned to Roshedam and asked him "Where to, now?"

"The third floor," answered Roshedam, "Follow me."

He lead the eight cats up two short flights of stairs. When they reached the top of the fire escape, they came to a closed window. Roshedam had the others step back as he approached the window. He tapped on the glass five times, each in a different spot.

A few moments later, the window was opened up vertically by a young queen. She was white with patches of red and gold along her body. Tumblebrutus, Grumbuskin, and the others recognized her from Griddlebone's drawings; she was Scurtena.

She smiled up at Roshedam and told him "I'm glad that you're home, Rosh." She spoke in a firm yet sweet voice, much like her mother.

"Good evening to you, too, Scurt," he told her, "Listen, I need you to go get your brother and sister. There're some cats here who would like to meet you."

"Sure," she nodded, turned around, and went into a different room. Roshedam and the others climbed inside the building. Once everyone was in, he closed and locked the window.

"While we're on this subject, how long have you been looking after them?" inquired Grumbuskin.

"A little over two months," the yellow and brown striped tom replied, "Vearhin sought me out to take part in the network that had been created to locate them."

"Why'd you bring them here?" asked Tumblebrutus.

"Because this was already my home beforehand," explained Roshedam, "I moved in here about three months ago. You see, long before that, this building was declared 'condemned.' But fortunately, only the first floor has actually been deemed unsafe. The other two are suitable for living."

"How fortunate," remarked Jemima.

"Fortunate indeed," agreed Roshedam, "The utilities still work, and a lot of furniture was left behind. We just have to keep the place clean and it's a regular 'home, sweet home.'"

"Does anyone else live here?" asked Ralpharite.

"No, just me and them," responded Roshedam, "They do not seem to have any problem with that. I'm not quite sure why, though; I guess they just feel comfortable around me."

"I guess they trust in you," stated Ralpharite.

Roshedam shrugged and remarked "It would seem that way."

"Have they ever mentioned Growltiger?" Tumblebrutus cut in.

Roshedam did not answer that question immediately. He chose his words carefully before answering: "I have tried bringing him and Griddlebone up on multiple occasions, but they all seem determined not to mention anything about either of their parents. I'm guessing they are still very angry at them."

"Hopefully, we can convince them to come home," stated the black and grey striped tom, "But I think we should first get on their good side; so we'll wait until tomorrow to tell them why we are here. For now, all they need to know is that we work for their father."

"That seems reasonable," the yellow and brown tom agreed.

Just then, Scurtena returned with a gold and red striped tom with a white chest and a patched red, gold, and white queen. Everyone recognized them from Griddlebone's drawings as Dawlimer and Bellazni respectively.

All three of them were on the cusp of reaching adulthood. Just by looking at them, Tumblebrutus could determine that they were healthy and in fine shape.

"Grumbuskin, I would like you and your colleagues to meet Bellazni, Scurtena, and Dawlimer," Roshedam introduced the three young adults to the others.

"This is a great pleasure," said Dawlimer, the eldest and only tom.

"You are all welcome here," said Scurtena, the middle one.

"Any friends of Rosh's are friends of ours," said Bellazni, the youngest one.

Grumbuskin stepped forward and saluted them. He introduced himself "I am Grumbuskin. I am honored to meet my Captain's children."

The three white, red, and gold adults were a little confused at first.

"You know our father?" said Bellazni.

"Yes, I serve as his First Officer on board his ship, the _Demagogue_," Grumbuskin clarified.

Dawlimer looked over at the other seven cats and asked Grumbuskin "Are they crewmembers, as well?"

"Only those four are," replied the black and grey striped tom, pointing out Tumblebrutus, Placondgo, Dominev, and Ralpharite, "The other three are also here on his orders, but they do not officially work for him."

Grumbuskin gestured to the others to come closer, and he introduced them one at a time: "This is Ralpharite, our Intelligence Officer. This is Dominev, our Strategic Operations Officer. This is Placondgo, our Tactical Officer. This is Tumblebrutus, our Boatswain. This is Jemima, our Tracker. And these are Coricopat and Tantomile."

"What do they do?" inquired Dawlimer.

"We can read the minds of others," Tantomile replied, "By that, we are able to sense emotions of others."

"And right now, we sense that all three of you are somewhat confused and frustrated," Coricopat declared.

"That is correct," remarked Bellazni, "We would like to know something; why would our father – who lives in the Westminster district of London – send out eight cats that work for him to his city, which is several miles away?"

"We're here to handle a business transaction," answered Grumbuskin, "We just finished it, but we're not due back for another few days. So we thought we would drop in and pay our Boss's children a visit."

"That's lovely," Scurtena drily stated, "We're thrilled to meet you all."

No one spoke for about a minute after that. Awkward silence filled the air.

Finally, Roshedam broke the silence. He asked Grumbuskin and his company "By the way, do you all have shelter planned for tonight?"

"Well, no, not exactly" answered Grumbuskin, "We were just planning to find some place in the city to camp out for the night."

"Nonsense," Roshedam sternly shook his head, "This city can become very cold, dark, and unfriendly at night. You will stay here as my guests."

"Really?" said Grumbuskin, obviously grateful for the offer.

"Of course," replied Roshedam, "I have plenty of room."

"Rosh, would you like us to designate some places for them to sleep?" offered Dawlimer.

"Yes, that would be lovely, Dawl," nodded Roshedam.

Dawlimer and Scurtena turned around and went into the hallway outside that room. Bellazni remained behind and asked their caretaker "Would you like me to take inventory of our supplies, Rosh?"

"Just a moment," he told her. He turned back to Grumbuskin and asked him "Are you and your associates in need of food?"

"No, we have enough rationed food on us to last for at least week," replied Grumbuskin, "But thank you for offering."

"Very well, then," Roshedam turned back to Bellazni and told her "That won't be necessary, Bella."

She smiled up at him and nodded. "Alright." She turned around and went to meet up with her siblings.

Roshedam turned back to Grumbuskin and commented "One admirable thing about them is that they are so organized. They probably learned that from me, though."

"Are you certain we will not be imposing?" Grumbuskin asked.

"Absolutely," said the yellow and brown tom, "I want you to feel welcome here. Besides, I rarely get guests."

"Why?" asked Ralpharite, "Are Growltiger's children typically uncomfortable around strangers?"

"No, it's nothing like that," stated Roshedam, "I don't have a lot of houseguests here because I want to keep the children safe."

"That's very considerate of you," stated Jemima.

Roshedam smiled down at her and said "I'm just doing what's expected of me."

That night, Grumbuskin and the others set up their sleeping bags in the sitting room on the building's third floor. There was enough room on the couches for all of them to get settled there.

It had been a long day; they unanimously agreed to put off any more conversations until the next morning. Everyone soon got settled down to get some rest.

Tumblebrutus and Jemima slept close to each other. Despite the fact that it had been a bit of a crazy night, they were happy to fall asleep at each other's side.

The next morning, the _Demagogue _had been docked at Twickenham. The ship had travelled more than half the distance to West Molesey in just the past two nights.

The barge was well-hidden in this area. No humans would be able to spot it unless they tried very hard.

Victor was in the navigations room. Typically, at that time of day, Placondgo and Dominev would be at the Tactical and Strategic Operations Stations respectively, and Grumbuskin would be working with Victor on the latest report of activity down the river. But all three of them were off the ship at the time and subsequently, Victor was alone in that room.

He was only now realizing how lonely it could get in the morning without the three of them around. But, at least he had a visit from Growltiger to look forward to.

Sure enough, a few minutes later, the Bravo Cat entered the Navigations Room and said "Good morning, Victor!"

Victor turned around and responded "Good morning, Captain. You certainly seem to be in a good mood."

"Yes, and there is a reason for that," said Growltiger, "Within the next few days, I will finally see my children after being away from them for so long."

Victor smirked and remarked "I can only imagine how excited you are to see them, sir."

"I am indeed excited," stated the Bravo Cat, "Excited and anxious. But I'm counting on the effort of Grumbuskin and the others to bring them home willingly."

There was a moment of silence before Growltiger asked "How's the morning report coming along?"

"I'm almost finished, sir," Victor informed his captain, "I just need a few more moments to compile it all together."

"Take as long as you need," Growltiger told his Second Officer, "I know that putting it together by yourself can be a long and complicated process."

With both Grumbuskin and Tumblebrutus gone, that made Victor the only other member of the ship's command staff. He had been working his tail off for the past day and a-half. But he felt it to be very rewarding.

A few minutes later, he put the finishing touches on the report, which came in the form of three clipboards.

"Alright, now what would you like to discuss first, sir?" said Victor.

Growltiger thought a moment before responding "What news on Siamese activity down the river?"

"Surprisingly, sir, no one has seen any sign of a Siamese vessel in the past thirty-six hours," Victor responded as he handed his Captain a clipboard that displayed the latest transmissions from their allies, "It's as if they all just… disappeared."

"That is odd," Growltiger stated, "But the Siamese can be very unpredictable."

"I think they're planning something, sir," said Victor.

Growltiger shrugged and said "Perhaps. That is not an unreasonable theory. Maybe we should take a few precautions. How far is the nearest allied vessel?"

Victor briefly looked over his navigations charts on another of the clipboards and replied "The _Aesop _and the _Odysseus _are both docked at Teddington, and the _Hark Olufs _is docked at Ham. Past that, the _Xanthus _is docked at Thames Ditton. After that, I do not think we will encounter another allied vessel before we reach West Molesey."

"In that case, I believe it will pretty much be smooth sailing," said Growltiger, "The Siamese would not dare travel to West Molesey."

"I hope you're right, sir," said Victor, a little uneasiness in his voice.

Growltiger noted this uneasiness and asked his Second Officer "Is everything alright, Victor?"

"Well, sir…" the Navigator began tentatively, "There's something else you should know."

"What is that?" asked the Bravo Cat.

Victor showed his Captain the third clipboard. Growltiger looked over it, and realized it was a copy of the ship's communications entries. He asked "Is there some sort of problem with our communications?"

"I'm… I'm not quite sure, sir," answered Victor, "Something about them caught my attention when I was looking over them this morning."

"What might that be?" queried Growltiger.

Victor took back the clipboard and pointed out several different spots on the entries. He explained "As you know, the relay station monitors all types of communication sent to and from this ship. But at several instances, I noticed that there were these long, empty gaps. I was not sure what they were at first, but after doing a little background searching, I've been able to determine that someone crudely erased several entries from the logs at the indicated times."

This really caught Growltiger's attention. He looked up at Victor and asked him "Why would someone try to do such a thing?"

Victor shrugged and said "Your guess is as good as mine, sir. But I have a theory that someone did not want anyone else to know what they were sending off this ship."

"Well, whatever that is, it cannot be a good sign," Growltiger decided, "I want you to keep a close eye on the relay station. If any more entries are erased, I want you to notify me immediately."

"Yes, sir," Victor agreed.


	30. Making An Effort

Across town, Tumblebrutus woke up in the building on Belgrade Street. As he remained lying down on the couch, he turned his head to look at the rest of the room. Yesterday, he had been the first of the group to wake up. That morning, he was the last. Everybody else was already up.

Placondgo and Dominev were cooking breakfast with the use of the fireplace. Coricopat and Tantomile were sitting on the floor together. Ralpharite was opening the window blinds in the room to let in some sunlight. The only ones he did not see immediately were Jemima and Grumbuskin.

Just then, he realized that someone was caressing his forehead. Tumble looked up, and he saw that Jemima was sitting right above him, using her front paw to gently stroke his head fur. He smiled up at her and said "Good morning to you, 'Beautiful.'"

She returned the smile and helped him sit up, saying in response "Good morning to you, too, 'Handsome.'"

Tumblebrutus looked around the room. It connected directly to the kitchen and a hallway, which in turn connected to some other rooms. He asked Jemima "Where's Grumbuskin?"

"He went to wake up Roshedam," she answered, "He wants him to bring out Growltiger's children so that he can tell them why we are here."

Tumble nodded and stretched himself out a bit. He commented "I wonder how they'll take that bit of news."

She shrugged and said "I guess we'll just have to wait and see. I guess we should just hope for the best."

A few minutes later, Grumbuskin returned to the sitting room. Roshedam, Dawlimer, Scurtena, and Bellazni were with him.

As the four of them started making their own breakfast, Grumbuskin sat down on a chair. He turned to face them, and after a moment's wait, he stated "I believe it is time for you to be told why my colleagues and I are here."

"You said last night that our father sent you down here to complete a business transaction," Dawlimer recalled, "Is not that why you are here?"

"I mean **here **specifically," Grumbuskin clarified.

Bellazni, Scurtena, and Dawlimer all looked at him in slight confusion. "What do you mean?" asked Bellazni.

Grumbuskin paused a moment before speaking: "Your father deeply misses you."

The three gold, red, and white cats scoffed in ridicule. "Oh, he does, now does he?" commented Scurtena.

"Yes, and he wants you to come home," Grumbuskin continued, "He sent us here to bring you back to him."

The three young adults stared at Grumbuskin. They were too stunned to speak after they heard those words. Finally, Dawlimer said "'Bring us back?'"

"Sorry, that was the wrong term to use," stated Grumbuskin, "What I mean is he wants you to come back to London. He wants to be able to properly call himself your father again."

"Well, if he misses us so, why does he not come for us himself?" queried Bellazni.

"Yes, why does he send you in his stead?" said Scurtena.

"Because he predicted that you would not take kindly to his presence," Grumbuskin answered straight away, "He wanted you to be pleased to see him, instead of reluctant. So he sent us to prepare you."

"Prepare us?" said Bellazni, "What, does that mean we do not have a say in this matter?"

"No, he gave us specific instructions that we are not to force you to visit him," Grumbuskin assured them, "He wanted us to convince you to return to him by your own freewill."

Dawlimer scoffed again and slyly remarked "If those were his exact orders, then you, sir, are going to be here for a while. My sisters and I have no intention of going back to him."

Scurtena and Bellazni muttered their agreement. Grumbuskin had anticipated this, and he was prepared to deal with it. He asked them "Why do you hold these feelings of resentment towards your father? What has he done to warrant such a thing?"

"He shunned us," Scurtena bitterly replied, "So we are shunning him. Him and that overprotective mother of ours."

"Why does he yearn for our presence so badly, anyway?" asked Bellazni, "Is he not too busy being 'The Terror of the Thames?'"

"Your father only stopped visiting you to protect you," Grumbuskin told them, "He was concerned that his enemies would learn about you if he was not too careful."

"That part does not bother us," stated Dawlimer, "What **does **bother us is how our mother would always make up lies about where he was and what he was doing. Our own parents lied to us daily!"

Grumbuskin did not respond immediately. After a while, he said "I understand how you must be feeling at present; your feelings of resentment are justified. But your father does regret that decision he made long ago. It has put so much guilt on his conscience that he did not even feel that he had the ability to face all of you after so much time has passed. All he wants is the opportunity to be a father he should have been. Please, give the old tom a chance."

Dawlimer, Scurtena, and Bellazni gazed at each other, as if they were communicating telepathically. They were not, but they looked as if they were.

After a few moments, Dawlimer looked at Grumbuskin and told him "Right now, we have no desire to see your Captain – I speak for my sisters and myself when I say that. But if you can convince us that he really does want us to return home, then we will pay him a visit. Until then, we're staying right here."

Grumbuskin found this to be a reasonable arrangement. No one spoke another word of this subject until well after breakfast.

After breakfast, Grumbuskin and Tumblebrutus had a talk with Roshedam.

"What will you do in the unlikely event that we do not convince them to come back to London?" the black and grey tom asked him.

Roshedam shrugged and replied "They're still welcome to stay here as long as they like. I find that I deeply enjoy their company. In fact, you could say that I've somewhat benefited from it."

"In what ways?" asked Tumblebrutus.

"Before they arrived, I was managing this place all on my own," the yellow and brown tom elucidated, "I was initially uncertain that I would be able to look after this place and three adolescents at the same time. However, when I brought them here, from the start they were anything but a burden. They already knew how to hunt. They are not lazy. In fact, they're very helpful and responsible."

"How so?" said Grumbuskin.

Roshedam provided an example: "While they look after the place, I'm able to get involved in a bunch of different businesses. Right now, I literally have more money than I know what to do with. I did give some of it to them, but even after factoring that out, I still have a large surplus remaining."

Both Grumbuskin and Tumblebrutus were deeply impressed by this. The former of them asked Roshedam "Do you let them outside often?"

Roshedam seemed surprised by that question. He answered "Of course I do. They're not prisoners; I want them to be assured of that. I let them roam all the want around the city, as long as they tell me where they are going. In fact, when I first took them in, I told them that they were free to leave this place anytime they wanted. But it seems like leaving is the last thing on their minds."

Once again, Grumbuskin and Tumble were impressed. The latter made a comment "It would seem as though you've done a fine job in functioning as a parent."

Roshedam scoffed and said "They don't see me as a parent as much as their caretaker, or just their friend. But I'm glad to hear you say that; a lot of queens in this city just love a tom that is good with children."

"Well, based on all that you have told us, they seem to put their faith in you," remarked Grumbuskin, "Roshedam, we need you to help us persuade them to return to their father."

"Well, I suppose I could try…" said the yellow and brown tabby nervously, "It seems that they are pretty adamant about their decision to stay away from him. But I'll still try."

"Thank you," said Grumbuskin gratefully.

A few hours after lunch, Scurtena, Bellazni, and Dawlimer had gone to hunt in an open field. Grumbuskin, Ralpharite, and Tumblebrutus had accompanied them. The three of them were determined to convince the white, gold, and red cats to give their father a chance.

After they had each caught a squirrel, the three young adults were opened to talk.

"Don't you feel you are being a little too hard on your father?" Grumbuskin opened the discussion.

"Hey, he wanted to be away from us in the first place," pointed out Scurtena.

"For the hundredth time, that was only to protect you!" Ralpharite practically shouted, "If any of you had kits of your own, you would understand!"

"Oh, we understand alright," stated Dawlimer, "We understand that he thought we were weak, and that we could not defend ourselves."

"You were just kittens at the time!" Tumblebrutus emphasized, "How could he have known if you'd be able to defend yourself at that young an age?"

"That is a good point," stated Bellazni, "But you must not forget that we ran away from our parents because they would not stop lying to us. What assurance do we have that they will not just keep on lying?"

None of the three toms knew how to answer that question. They were certain that Growltiger would be more honest with his children, but they were not certain how they could prove that to his children.

"Your father is one of the most honorable and trusting toms I have ever met," Grumbuskin told them, "It is thanks to him that I did not grow up starving on the streets. You should at least give him one chance."

"We gave him many chances back in London," said Scurtena, "And he failed to come through for us on every single occasion. That type of disappointment and anger has remained with us for several months."

"Regardless of that, your father has gone to incredible lengths to search for you!" Ralpharite informed them, "He's established an entire network just to find you and bring you home. You should at least give him credit for that."

"Yet he's too lazy to just come out here and find us by himself?" said Dawlimer, "I think that we've already given him proper credit for his efforts. Our father is a coward."

A sensation of rage started building up inside of Grumbuskin. No one talked about his Captain that way; not even his children.

"I think I know what your problem is," he told them, "You just like feeling angry towards him. You're lost and confused in this country, but you blame your father as the source of all your frustration."

"And what if we do?" Scurtena asked rhetorically, "We still have the right to choose where to live. After all, we're practically grown."

"Roshedam is the only one we need," stated Bellazni.

"Indeed he is," agreed Dawlimer, "He's more of a father to us than our real father ever was."

The argument was more or less concluded there, but Tumblebrutus, Grumbuskin, and Ralpharite still tried to make a point over the course of several more minutes. Finally, they decided that their debate had been in vain this time around. But they were still determined to make Scurtena, Bellazni, and Dawlimer change their minds.

Some more times that day, the eight members of the group from London tried reasoning with the three young adult cats. And one every single occasion, the argument ended in the favor of the latter party.

At night, everyone decided to put the issue aside for a while and get some rest. Tumblebrutus lay on the couch next to Jemima. He felt that he would not get a lot of sleep that night; he was too busy wondering how he could convince Growltiger's children to return to their father. He was not going to let his Captain down.

Tumblebrutus thought of all that Growltiger had done for him. He had shown him courtesy when no other member of the crew did. He invited him to join his crew. He gave him some of the ship's most important responsibilities. He even made him the Third Officer and the Boatswain!

Tumble felt that bringing Growltiger's children home was the least he could do to thank his Captain.

Just then, Jemima tapped Tumblebrutus on the shoulder, making him jump slightly. She whispered "Tumble, are you awake?"

He nodded and turned to her. He asked her "What's up, Jem?"

"I know that today we did not have a lot of luck convincing Dawlimer, Bellazni, and Scurtena to come with us to London," she told him, "but I think a solution to this problem."

He sat up and asked her "What might that be?"

Jemima reached down to pick up her equipment pack off the ground and took something out of the side pocket. After focusing on them for a moment, Tumblebrutus realized that they were three folded pieces of paper.

"What are those?" he asked.

Jemima replied "They're letters. Griddlebone gave me these just before we left the other day. She asked me to give them to her children. She felt that they would clear a few things up."

"Why didn't you mention these earlier?" he asked her.

She shrugged and told him "I guess it slipped my mind."

Tumblebrutus lightheartedly rolled his eyes and asked his queenfriend "Is there anything else that 'slipped your mind?'"

"Actually, yes there is," she answered. Without warning, she leaned forward to kiss Tumblebrutus fully on the lips, taking him off guard.

He was a little startled at first, but then he closed his eyes and returned the kiss.

When they came apart, she told him "I forgot to give you that earlier."

"Well, better late than never!" he commented.

The two of them soon drifted off to sleep in each other's arms.

Later in the night, after midnight, the _Demagogue _was passing through Surbiton. The ship had made substantial progress on its voyage to West Molesey. In fact, Growltiger was expecting the ship to arrive at the town's harbor by morning.

At that moment, he was in the Navigations Room with Victor. The two of them were staying up late, sharing a drink of bourbon and monitoring the vessel's progress by themselves. They were two of the few that were still up at that ungodly hour.

Growltiger was sitting in a chair with his feet propped up on a console while Victor was standing in front of him at the navigations chart.

As Victor looked over the navigations chart, he commented "I see you're very eager to get to our destination, sir."

"Indeed, I am," nodded the Bravo Cat, taking a sip of his bourbon, "I can only hope that Grumbuskin and the others have been able to locate my children by now."

"Knowing our First Officer, I have no doubt about it," said Victor, "He always comes through."

"I'm inclined to agree," stated Growltiger.

There were a few moments of silence before the Captain looked up at Victor and said "By the way, did you by any chance… find out anything more about that glitch in the ship's communications logs?"

"Well, I have been able to determine that it was definitely not a glitch, sir," explained Victor, "Someone was indeed trying to mess with the system. Though I have no more idea how they did it than who they were."

"I'm hopeful that your investigation will be short," stated Growltiger as he drained his glass of bourbon, "One unsolved investigation is bad enough."

"Sir?" Victor cocked his head as he looked at his Captain; for that last remark had caught his attention.

"Najalim and Quaftil have managed to conclude that Farios was actually innocent of what happened at the gala," Growltiger explained, "We let him out of the brig and revoked his demotion, but we're still no closer to finding out who or why he was poisoned."

"Maybe someone's just trying to – if you'll pardon the expression – screw with us, sir," Victor hypothesized, "It could be possible that someone is trying to fool around with us. But if that is the case, then I do believe that it is getting ominously out of hand."

"I concur," nodded Growltiger.

Just then, a voice was heard on the communications line that connected to the engine room. It said "Engine Room to the Bridge. Captain, are you there?"

Growltiger stood up, walked over to the console, and said into it "Yes, I'm here, Carbucketty. Is everything alright?"

"Well, sir…" the Chief Engineer tentatively responded, "Captain, there's something down here you need to see."

"What might that be?" inquired the Bravo Cat.

"It'd be easier to explain if you just came down here," was all Carbucketty said.

"Alright, I'll be done there in a minute," Growltiger agreed. He turned back to Victor and told him as he left the room "You have the bridge."

Victor nodded and returned his attention to the navigations chart, watching it closely.

A minute later, Growltiger arrived in the bottom deck in the Engineering Room. There, he saw Carbucketty and a few of his assistants working around a faulty conduit on one of the main engines.

Growltiger walked over to his Chief Engineer and asked him "What happened?"

"One of the conduits just malfunctioned, sir." Carbucketty explained, "Its breakdown caused an overload in a neighboring conduit. Then another one went out. We managed to contain and isolate the problem before a fourth conduit ruptured, but the damage has already been done."

"What damage?" asked Growltiger.

"These conduits are responsible for keeping the engines working efficiently and constantly," Carbucketty elucidated "We have to get these things repaired as soon as possible. If we don't, the engines will die on us."

"Very well," agreed Growltiger, "I'll have George bring you whatever you need to-"

"Sir, that won't do any good," Carbucketty politely interrupted, "I already checked with him; some of the equipment and parts required to repair these conduits are not in our inventory."

"They're not?" Growltiger was surprised to hear this. George typically had anything and everything the ship needed in the cargo hold.

"Yes, sir," Carbucketty confirmed, "You see, these conduits are some of those things that you'd never expect to malfunction, yet they have. So we'll have to take the ship ashore and find replacements."

"Wait, wait, wait, waaaaait a minute," said Growltiger, "What do you mean that these conduits are not supposed to malfunction? If they are not supposed to, then why did they?"

Carbucketty nervously replied "You're not going to like the reason, sir. But I'll tell you anyway. We inspected the conduits ourselves, and we have been able to determine that the overload was no accident. Somebody sabotaged them."

Growltiger was shocked. That was the last thing he was expecting to hear.

"Do you have any leads?" he asked.

"No, sir," replied Carbucketty, "We can't even determine when the conduits were sabotaged; they're that badly wrecked."

"We'll focus on that later," Growltiger decided, "All I want to know is if we will at least make it to West Molesey before we lose the engines."

Carbucketty turned to the damaged engine conduits and determined the damage visually. Then he turned back to his Captain and replied "I don't think so, sir. I can do some things to get the ship to the edge of East Molesey, but we'll have to stop the ship there and make repairs. Because if we go any further, the engines will completely break down."

Growltiger sighed and told him "Very well. I'll inform Victor immediately. In the meantime, see what you can do to keep them running as long as possible."

"Yes, sir," Carbucketty nodded as he turned his attention back to the main engines.

As Growltiger went back up to the bridge, he thought about all that had just happened within the past few days. First, someone had poisoned Farios. Then, someone had tampered with the ship's communications logs. Now, to discover that someone had purposely damaged the ship's engines… Growltiger was certain that someone on board the ship was not what he appeared to be. The only question was who.


	31. Objectives Fulfilled

A few hours later, the _Demagogue _pulled into the harbor at East Molesey. It was getting near daybreak, so Growltiger had the crew wake up early and he had them assemble on the bridge. He announced to them: "Gentlemen, last night, a few members of the senior staff and I made a very unpleasant discovery. There is a saboteur on board this ship."

Everyone started whispering among themselves and looking around with suspicious eyes in all directions.

Once the commotion died down, Growltiger continued: "Three of the conduits to one of the main engines were deliberately short-circuited, and we will be docked here at East Molesey until they are repaired. I have decided to keep a skeleton crew on board to repair them. Around a third of you will be required to remain on board while the repairs are made."

Once he was done talking, Growltiger handed picked the members of his skeleton crew. It was composed of Victor, George, Bill Bailey, Carbucketty, Quaftil, Najalim, Farios, and twenty others.

Once that was accomplished, Growltiger told the remaining fifty-something members of the crew "Consider yourselves on shore leave for the time being."

While they filed out, Growltiger told the members of his skeleton crew "Work fast, gentlemen, and you will all be on shore leave soon enough. I can assure you that you will have as much leave time as the others."

The members of the crew that were granted shore leave decided to spend their time out in the city. Everyone else would remain on board the ship. Griddlebone had also decided to remain on the ship with her mate.

The _Demagogue _had been hidden by the time the sun peered out onto the docks. The barge was totally protected from human eyes.

George and Carbucketty had inspected the damage done to engines earlier and subsequently made a list of all the equipment and supplies they would need to repair them. The two of them went to a shop on the marina to find the necessary items.

Only a small percentage of the security department had been selected for the skeleton crew. Most of the others were technicians, mechanics, and engineers. As a result, Bill Bailey and his assistants where thinly stretched out on the ship. But they made sure it was secure.

Growltiger stood on the docks, looking out at the surrounding waters. It was a beautiful day in East Molesey.

As he surveyed the area, something caught his attention. It was a boat further down the docks. Growltiger looked more closely and realized it was another feline pirate ship. Based on its appearance and configuration, it was neither a ship of his allies or his enemies. It was a neutral one.

But something about that ship looked familiar to him. That was when he realized it was the _Standish_, Captain Vearhin's vessel.

Growltiger did not expect to see his former captain from the navy at East Molesey. Then again, he never planned to stop at East Molesey in the first place. But given the circumstances, he decided to keep his mind occupied and pay his former CO a visit.

After giving command of the ship to Victor, Growltiger went down to the docks and made his way over to the _Standish_. A young tom was standing guard at the entrance ramp. When he noticed someone was approaching the ship, he focused his attention on that person. When he realized who it was that was nearing, he eased down a bit. He – as well as virtually every other feline sailor on the Thames River – knew Growltiger by sight. Unlike most sailors on the Thames River, his captain was good friends with the Bravo Cat.

When Growltiger approached the entrance ramp to the _Standish_, he said "Good morning."

The young guard nodded his acknowledgement.

"Is your captain here today?" inquired Growltiger.

"Yes, sir," answered the young guard. He then offered "Would you like me to get him for you?"

"If it is not too much trouble," was Growltiger's response.

The young tom nodded and went up the entrance ramp. He returned a few moments later with his elderly commanding officer.

When Vearhin saw Growltiger, he smiled and went down to the docks to greet him properly. The two old friends embraced and gave a hearty laugh as they did so.

"It's great to see you, Growltiger," said the scarlet and black tom.

"The feeling is mutual, Vearhin," stated the red and gold tom, "What are you doing here?"

"My men and I arrived here last night to get some equipment," replied Vearhin, "Plus, there is a type of celebration going on near Hampton Court. We attended it last night."

"How was it?" asked Growltiger.

"It was very enjoyable," said Vearhin, "But you see, this is a five-day celebration thing that is going on. Last night was the second night. If you're staying here long enough, perhaps you and your crew could attend the third night or something."

Growltiger shrugged and told him "I don't know about that. We're only here to make repairs to our engines. Some of the conduits suffered an overload last night."

"Ah, yes, those are a real pain in the ass," Vearhin nodded, "But if you do decide to stay here for the night, I would recommend attending the festival."

"I'll think about it," Growltiger assured him, "But as soon as the engines are repaired, we are making our way to West Molesey."

Vearhin was suddenly reminded of the negotiations from the other night. He said "That reminds me, I met up with Grumbuskin at the Bell Inn the other night."

"How did the negotiations go?" asked Growltiger.

"They went rather well," Vearhin recalled, "After that, we had a drink with one of the bar patrons named Roshedam. Good tom; a bit eccentric, but still a pleasant fello-"

"Wait, did you say you know Roshedam?" Growltiger interrupted.

"Yes, I do," Vearhin confirmed, "And I believe I know what you are going to ask me next. Something about your children, correct?"

"Yes," said Growltiger, "Did he say anything about them?"

"Well, Growltiger, it would appear as though Roshedam has been looking after your children for the past couple months," Vearhin told the younger tom, "My men and I never actually met them, but Roshedam spoke highly of them. Grumbuskin and the rest of his party accompanied him to his home."

Growltiger suddenly felt a rush of happiness inside. His children had been found at last!

He looked at the scarlet and black tom and asked him "When and where is your crew setting off?"

"We're leaving tonight as soon as it gets dark," answered Vearhin, "And we'll be heading towards Shepperton."

"In that case, I must ask a favor of you," stated the Bravo Cat.

Vearhin cocked his head in interested and said "Name it."

"Grumbuskin and the others are expecting us to pick them up at West Molesey very soon," Growltiger explained, "But it is unlikely that the engines will be repaired by tonight. I must ask that you make a stop at West Molesey and wait to inform them of our situation. That way, they can rendezvous with us here."

Vearhin stood thinking for a moment, and then slowly nodded his head. He said "Very well. It shall be done."

Growltiger smiled and said "Thank you, Vearhin. This means a lot to me."

"I'll bet it does," commented the elder tom.

After a few more moments of talking, Growltiger said "I guess I should be getting back to my ship."

"Alright then," agreed Vearhin, "But first, I think you could use a little cooling off!"

At that, Vearhin pushed Growltiger backwards toward the ledge of the platform. Growltiger was caught off his guard, and he almost fell over the side, but then Vearhin reached out and pulled him back.

Soon, both of the toms were laughing. But when the laughter died down, Growltiger said "Your practical jokes seem to get more hazardous every time. You know I cannot swim very well."

"I know, but I'm feeling a little mischievous at the moment," Vearhin remarked, "Your First Officer and his accomplices got me and my men the other night. Quite brilliant, actually."

"I'll be sure to ask him about that when he gets back," said Growltiger, "Anyway, have a nice day."

After saying good-bye to his former captain, Growltiger headed back to the _Demagogue_.There, on the docks in front of the entrance ramp, Carbucketty and George were waiting for him. They had the cargo hold opened, and a few members of the skeleton crew were busy brining the crates aboard.

When the Chief Engineer and the Cargo Manager saw their Captain approaching, they went to speak with him.

"Captain, we found all the items we need to repair the engine conduits," George stated.

"But it'll still take at least three days to repair them and inspect the engine room for any other damage," Carbucketty added in.

Growltiger sighed in mild frustration. He asked his Cargo Manager and Chief Engineer "Are you certain that it cannot be done sooner?"

George and Carbucketty looked at each other and thought it out in their heads. Finally, the latter responded "I suppose that if we work around the clock, we could have the engines repaired by tomorrow night."

Growltiger nodded and told them "I want a progress report very few hours" as he walked aboard the entrance ramp.

When he got there, he found Farios working by himself on the bridge. He, too, wanted to speak with the Bravo Cat. The young sailor seemed a little timid as he approached his Captain, but he got a little bolder and asked him "Captain… may… may… may I speak to you for a moment?"

"Certainly, Farios," nodded the Bravo Cat.

Farios told him "I… I know that what happened at the Mariners' Gala was not really my fault, but I still feel incredibly guilty that it happened in the first place."

"Don't worry," Growltiger assured him, "We're currently investigating the matter. Whoever did that to you will not get away with it."

"I'm glad to know that, sir," said Farios, "But the guilt remains. Do… do you suppose that… when the reconnaissance party returns, I could speak with Tumblebrutus and Jemima? I want to personally apologize for what happened."

Growltiger was touched by Farios' words. "Of course you may speak with them. They should be made aware of your feelings, as well as your innocence."

"Thank you, sir," Farios smiled at his Captain, "I'll be glad to get this off my conscience."

"I can hardly blame you," commented Growltiger, "By the way, may I ask your opinion on the sentence Tumblebrutus gave you? You can be honest with me."

"I'm always honest with you, sir," stated Farios, "And I do believe that it was a fair sentence. Our Third Officer did not let his personal feelings interfere with his duties. I can now see why you chose him to be this ship's boatswain."

Growltiger nodded and said "He may be young, but he is one of the most responsible sailors that have served under me."

"I'm inclined to agree," said Farios. After a brief pause, he said "I better get to work helping George and Carbucketty with their work if this ship's ever going to run again."

"Alright, you are dismissed," said Growltiger.

As Farios went to assist his colleagues, Growltiger stood by himself on the bridge. He was so close to his children, and yet something had come up at the worst possible moment to delay him. He felt confident that he would soon be reunited with them, but he was not sure how soon that would be.

Later that morning, across town, Tumblebrutus was talking with Coricopat and Tantomile.

"Do you actually think we can convince them to return to their father?" he asked them, "Are there any signs that that is even possible?"

"We have been sensing their emotions for the past thirty hours," answered Cori, "Whenever we bring up Growltiger or Griddlebone, the sensation of rage and resentment strongly resonates off of their minds."

"But the rest of the time, such as when they are with Roshedam, we can detect no such emotions," Tanto continued, "We can sense only bliss, harmony, and easiness."

Tumblebrutus was frustrated. He was determined to come through for his Captain, but if just the mentioning of his name angered his children, then Tumble's job would not be easy.

"I guess that Jemima is our only hope," he remarked.

A short time later, all twelve cats were gathered in the sitting room. They were mostly spending the time socializing. Jemima was sitting on the couch with Tumblebrutus. A little further down the couch, the three young adults sat talking with each other. Jemima looked down at her right paw. In it, she held the letters Griddlebone had entrusted her with. Then she looked up at Tumblebrutus. He slowly nodded at her, as if to say "Do it."

A moment later, Jemima turned around and faced the three gold, red, and white cats. She cleared her throat and announced "Dawlimer, Scurtena, Bellazni, I have something for you."

The room quickly quieted down as all eyes turned to Jemima. She slowly approached the three young adults, holding onto the letters tightly.

"What might that be, Jemima?" queried Dawlimer.

Jemima held up her paw and presented them with the letters. She replied "Letters from your mother."

"Our mother?" repeated Bellazni.

"Yes, she asked me to give them to you," Jemima stated.

"What do they say?" asked Scurtena as she carefully received the letters from Jemima.

"I do not know," Jemima responded softy, "I do not have a habit of reading other people's mail."

There was not a trace of sarcasm in Jemima's sweet voice. She just spoke in her usual gentle tone.

Once the three young adults had sorted out whose letter was whose, they recognized the paw-writing as their mother's. Soon they were authentic.

"I would ask that you read them," Jemima requested, "Perhaps they may be more successful in telling you just how much your parents miss you."

The three gold, red, and white cats looked at her. Doubt was lining the edges of their faces. Jemima noticed this, and told them "I know that you must see me as a young, naïve queen-kit who is ignorant of the problems in the world around her. I may indeed be just that. But I am aware that your mother would definitely want you to return if she took the time to write these letters."

The three siblings looked at each other, and they decided to read their letters one at a time and aloud.

Bellazni went first. She unfolded her letter and read aloud:

"_Bellazni,_

_Do you remember that one spot on the river you and I used to fish at? The spot at the docks near Parsons Green? You and I used to fish there all the time. After I taught you, you caught two salmon and a trout on your third day! I was very proud of you that day. But I was always proud to call myself your mother before that. Now, all I feel is shame and guilt for keeping you and your siblings in the dark. Trust is something a mother should always have in her children. As my youngest child, I feel that I could have at least trusted you. But I did not, and now I am paying for that mistake. I understand if you are angry at me and your father, but you should know that we care about you too much to just put you out of our lives. That is why we have been searching for you for so long. I hope that you can come to forgive us and come back. I miss you dearly. I want you to think for a moment about all you have left behind. Wouldn't you like to fish with me at Parsons Green again? I would give anything to do that again. I want to be able to call myself your mother again. Just think about this my words._

_With Love, Mother._"

When Bellazni had begun to read the letter, she was still very angry. But before she got halfway through it, her anger was quickly dissipating. By the time she got to the last sentence, her eyes were welling up with tears.

She covered her eyes with her front paws and started to sob. Dawlimer comforted her while Scurtena read her letter aloud next:

"_Scurtena,_

_It has been months since we were last in the same room with each other. However, I can imagine by now that you and your sister have grown to be beautiful young queens. But because I was not honest with you, I have been unable to witness that happen myself. I do not blame you or your siblings for choosing to run away; the fault for that was mine and your father's. But he always spoke to me that you and the others are what really motivate him. Even when you were a kitten, he could see a bright future for you. He felt confident that you would be the first one to bring honor to our family. He is not certain why; he simply calls it fatherly instinct. Right now, he would like nothing more than to see you and the others again. He will never forgive himself if he lives the rest of his life with the feeling that he failed as a parent. All he wants is a chance of redemption, but only you and your siblings can give him that chance. I hope that you can find it in your heart to put your anger aside and come back home to us. I ask of you – no, I beg of you, to at least consider this._

_With Love, Mother._"

Scurtena was also very angry when she had started reading her own letter. But as she read, her fury was vanquished and she broke down like her sister by the time she finished reading.

Now, only Dawlimer still had to read his. He opened up his letter and read aloud:

"_Dawlimer,_

_How are you? I am sure you and your sisters are doing well, as I know you are responsible enough to look after them. I imagine that you have several mixed emotions as you are reading this. Emotions conveying antipathy and frustration. It is only natural for you to feel this way. Indeed, your father and I should never have lied to you. I feel that convincing you to return home may be a little harder than convincing your sisters, as I know how to talk with queens. But I raised you to be a rational tom, so please, take my words to heart. Every day, I think about how much I miss you and your sisters. Never in my life have I felt so much guilt for concealing the truth of your father's business. I am certain that you know all about his work by now. According to feline pirate tradition, every captain's firstborn son – if he has one – is his automatic successor. That would mean that your father would entrust you with all his work. But he does not want to force you into anything. He wants you to know that you may do whatever you want to do with your life. If the idea of living and working on a ship displeases you, then we are willing to compromise. But all I ask of you is that you do not let your father die a miserable old tom. Come home. We wait for you with open arms._

_With Love, Mother_."

Dawlimer was still a little angry when he had begun to read his letter. But soon, his malice vanished and now he was struggling to fight back tears.

All three of the gold, white, and red adults had been touched by their mother's words. All of a sudden, all three of them felt a rush of guilt running through them.

After five minutes of silence, they composed themselves and stood up straight, wiping their eyes. They whispered between themselves for a few minutes, and then turned to face everyone else.

Dawlimer told the other nine cats "If we had any idea that our parents really cared this much about us, we would never have left them in the first place."

Scurtena stated "Right now, all we can feel is an overwhelming amount of guilt for all the pain we've put our parents through."

Bellazni declared "You've succeeded in changing our minds and thoughts. We will go back with you tonight."

Grumbuskin and the others all started grinning. They cheered and applauded the three young adults for their convictions.

Tumblebrutus leaned over to Jemima and kissed her on the cheek. Then he whispered into her ear: "Good work. We have you to thank for this."

That night, back in London, Mungojerrie, Flash, Sharpie, and Cyclops were in the communications array, receiving a transmission. It was from the mole.

"L'ooks l'ike the mol' h'as succeeded in dis'ablin' the ship," Mungo informed the others, "H'e was almos' ca'ught, an' the crew is startin' ta get suspicious, but n'ow everythin' is s'et. Th'at means th'ere is only one th'ing left ta do."

Mungojerrie contacted Genghis and sent him a message composed of only five words: "East Molesey. Now or never."

Down in Thames Ditton – just a short distance away from East Molesey – Genghis had received this message. He and the whole of his fleet had secretly assembled there a few days earlier. They had seen the _Demagogue _pass by that morning, but they had hidden their boats beforehand, so Growltiger and his crew did not even notice them.

Genghis had his army assemble before him on the docks. He had a total of five hundred battle-ready sailors. Looking around at them, he studied each and every one of them closely. They were prepared to do whatever he asked of them.

After a short period of silence, he announced "My dear queens and toms, I stand before you tonight… and all I can think is how proud I am of all of you. You are the future. The future of this empire. Your actions tonight will change the course of this river's history!"

The Siamese sailors started cheering. They cheered for about thirty seconds until Genghis raised his paw for silence. When they all quieted down, Genghis continued: "Two weeks ago, we lost a war to Growltiger. We lost it willingly. And now, it is paying off. Because tonight, we shall achieve a final victory against him! Tonight, he will pay for the deaths of our comrades at Chelsea! Tonight, we will purge his domain! Tonight, the _Demagogue _will cease to be a symbol of fear!"

There came more cheering. This round of cheering lasted a little longer. Genghis soon went on: "We will attack the _Demagogue _at Molesey. We received word that most of the crew is attending a festival at Hampton Court. But what matters is that its captain is still there! His death means the end of his domain! When the rest of his crew returns to the docks, they will find **nothing**! All they will know is that they are survivors! And survivors we must have; for they shall be the ones who educate others of what we will do tonight!"

A third round of cheering came. Right then, Genghis knew that his speech had successfully motivated his army. He shouted out "To the ships!"

The hundreds of Siamese cats broke their ranks and made their way down to the docks. There, dozens of sampans and junks were waiting to be boarded. They climbed aboard and prepared for departure. Once Genghis' flagship, the _Draco _was prepared, the Siamese commander shouted "To battle!"

"To battle!" repeated the five hundred.

"To battle!" shouted Genghis.

"To battle!" repeated his soldiers.

Soon, they set off in the direction of East Molesey. Five hundred Siamese sailors were preparing themselves to face off a skeleton crew of thirty maximum.


	32. Fate Of Destiny

Note: This chapter will probably seem a little rushed at certain points. Believe me; the next chapter will not be rushed at all.

Back in Hampton, Dawlimer, Scurtena, and Bellazni had finished packing up, as had Grumbuskin and his company. They were preparing to go back to London. To go back home.

Roshedam was not going with them. The three red, gold, and white adults tried to convince him to come, but he simply told them "Hampton is my home. It always was and it always will be. But even so, I will miss all of you dearly."

However, he did agree to accompany them to the docks and see them off. He wanted to be able to put off saying goodbye to them for as long as possible.

At approximately nine o'clock, the twelve cats left the condemned building at Belgrade Road and made their way to the docks at West Molesey. Roshedam's house was right on the edge of Hampton, so they only had to talk for about ten minutes until they got to West Molesey. Dominev, Placondgo, and Ralpharite made sure to take the trolley of crates with them.

When they got there, they did not see the _Demagogue_. The barge was nowhere in sight.

For a long time, awkward silence filled the air. Finally, Ralpharite suggested "Perhaps he's late."

"Perhaps," said Roshedam, "Or perhaps he forgot."

Grumbuskin glared back at the yellow and brown tom and told him "Growltiger would never just 'forget' about something like this."

"Let's hope not," Roshedam muttered under his breath.

Just then, he spotted the _Standish _at the edge of the docks. He quickly pointed this out to the others.

"I thought Vearhinwas going to Shepperton after he and his crew stopped in East Molesey," Grumbuskin thought aloud, "He would not deviate from his itinerary unless he had good reason."

"Maybe we should investigate," suggested Tumblebrutus.

The others agreed that investigating the _Standish _would be much better and more productive than just standing around and doing nothing. The dozen of them walked down the docks and went up to the ship. The same guard from before was on duty there.

"May I… help you?" he asked, eying them suspiciously. His captain had instructed him to be observant around anyone who approached the ship, especially in the middle of the night.

"We would like to speak with your captain, if he is available," Grumbuskin replied.

"Very well," agreed the guard, "But who shall I tell him is here?"

"Tell him Grumbuskin is here to see him," responded the black and grey tom.

"And Roshedam," said the yellow and brown tom.

The guard nodded and went aboard the _Standish_. A few minutes later, he returned with his elderly captain.

When Vearhin saw his visitors, he smiled and stated "Ah, I'm glad you are here. I've been expecting you."

The twelve cats standing opposite him were confused.

"You have?" said Tumblebrutus.

"Yes," answered Vearhin, "Your Captain asked me to tell you that he would not be able to come here tonight. There was some malfunction in the ship's main engines, and he had to stop at East Molesey to repair them."

"Did he ask you to tell us anything else?" inquired Ralpharite.

"Yes," said Vearhin, "He told me to tell you that he has moved your rendezvous point to the docks at East Molesey now. The _Demagogue _is still docked there now."

The twelve cats received some assurance from this information. After bidding the scarlet and black tom good evening, they returned to the street and started talking further down the river. Not one of them had any doubt now that they would soon see the _Demagogue_ and its Captain.

They would indeed see both of them, but in a much different way than they would expect to see them…

Further down the river, the _Demagogue _was still docked at East Molesey. Carbucketty and George had managed to repair two of the conduits in the engine room. They gave the engines a test run by bringing the ship out of the front of the docks. The test run worked out successfully, but unless the third conduit was fixed, the ship would not make it far down the river.

The _Standish _had left around an hour earlier, and it was making its way back to West Molesey. Growltiger had an optimistic feeling that the ship would not have to stay there for long. After all, Vearhin had assured him that the ship would only leave if it encountered Grumbuskin and the others and told them of the _Demagogue_'s current location.

All of the crewmembers on shore leave had decided to attend the third night of the festival at Hampton Court. But the members of Growltiger's skeleton crew had remained on board for the night to get some rest.

At that time, Growltiger was in the Navigations Room with Victor, Bill Bailey, and Griddlebone.

"I feel that now is the time to celebrate," he told the three of them. With that, he brought out a tray containing an unopened champagne bottle and four clean glasses.

Griddlebone offered to serve the drinks. Growltiger agreed and handed her the tray. She poured a healthy amount of wine into each glass and gave one to each of the toms, keeping the last one for herself.

Growltiger raised his glass and announced "To the Future, that it may be an improvement on the Past!"

"To the future!" the others repeated. They clinked their glasses together and drained them in a single gulp.

No one spoke for about a minute after that. Finally, Bill Bailey stated "I'll be in my office if any of you need me. Have a lovely evening."

Growltiger and Griddlebone had decided to step outside, leaving Victor alone. He had volunteered for lookout duty that night, so he remained in the navigations room. This responsibility involved him spending the night looking out for any ships passing through the area. This was mostly a precautionary measure taken in the event that a ship happened to be on an intercept course to the _Demagogue_; the lookout would see them coming. It was mostly boring work, but Victor managed to find some form of pleasure in it.

For about twenty minutes, he kept his eyes focused on the main navigations unit, staying wide awake. But after those twenty minutes passed, he suddenly started nodding off. That was very unusual for him; he could stay up for days on end without feeling tired. He had no idea why he suddenly felt so drowsy.

_Maybe I've been working harder than I thought _he figured. Regardless of why, he refused to succumb to his drowsiness.

He reached for his champagne glass, deciding that another drink would keep him vigilant and awake. He took the champagne bottle and was about to pour some more into the glass when something caught his eye. There was a white powder lining the edges of his glass.

He examined the powder for a moment and then just barely tasted it. That was when he realized that the powder was the essence of a powerful sedative.

It did not take Victor long to conclude that someone had planted the sedative on the glass beforehand. And, because every member of the senior staff had one glass kept on the bridge reserved specifically for himself, he realized that the sedative was meant for him and him alone. He went to the cupboard and discovered that none of the other glasses were spiked with the powder. Nor were Growltiger's, Griddlebone's, or Bill Bailey's.

At that moment, all Victor could think was _I've got to notify the Captain_._ Something is definitely wrong here._

But before he could take two steps toward the door, he collapsed. He succumbed to his drowsiness and slept on the ground. This left no one to monitor the main navigations unit. No one to watch out for any ships that could be approaching the docks at Molesey…

In London, Mungojerrie was in the communications array with Sharpie, Cyclops, and Flash. They were being contacted by Genghis.

"Mungojerrie, all of this is possible because of you," Genghis said over the communications line, "For all your efforts, we want you to be able to see this."

Just then, the screen in front of the communications panel was turned on. Mungo and the other three henchcats looked at it, and they saw live footage of the Siamese armada.

"We got our paws on a camera a few days back," Genghis told them over the line, "Right now, you are receiving everything that it is currently recording. We want you to see this victory for yourself."

"Exc'ellent," commented Mungojerrie, "Wh'en's the ass'ault s'et ta take pl'ace?"

"In less than a half-hour," stated Genghis.

"G'ood," Mungojerrie grinned evilly and rubbed his front paws together, "V'ery good. I be'lieve that w'ill be enou'f time."

"Time for what?" asked Genghis.

"Jus' keep the cam'era runnin'," Mungo instructed him, "I'll be bringin' one mo'e pe'rson to see th'e show."

"Very well, then," Genghis agreed and kept the camera running.

Mungojerrie turned to the others and told them "G'uys, I th'ink it's t'ime that we l'et the Boss in on th'is l'ittle pl'ot."

Mungojerrie's three colleagues stared at him as if he was insane.

"Now?" Flash almost shouted, "Of all times to tell him, you pick NOW?"

"Sh'ure, wh'y not?" Mungojerrie nonchalantly responded, "It w'ill be t'he pe'fect oppo'tunity. We can sho' 'im wh'at we're capa'ble of with'out h'is orders."

"That still sounds extraordinarily risky," stated Sharpie.

"Jus' foll'ow mah l'ead," he said, "Everythin' will w'ork out."

"Alright then," remarked Cyclops, "But I still think this sounds like suicide."

The four of them left the communications array and went to Macavity's office. They knocked on the door a few times and waited until he told them "Enter."

When that came about, they stepped inside and approached their Boss's desk slowly.

Macavity looked up at them and asked his top henchcats "What do you want?"

"A wo'rd alon' w'ith you, sih," responded Mungojerrie.

Macavity watched his second-in-command closely, but then slowly nodded and gestured for the guards to leave. Once the room was clear, Macavity asked "What's all this about, Mungojerrie?"

"Mac, do you remembe' G'enghis' offe'?" Mungojerrie rhetorically asked.

"Yes, of course I do," Macavity replied.

"W'ell, h'ave you given it ah'ny thought ove' the pas' few weeks?" Mungojerrie went on.

"Yes, I have given some thought about it on a few occasions," nodded Macavity, "But only a little thought. I've been busy with this organization's functions to spend too much time thinking about that offer."

Mungojerrie smirked and remarked "In th'at case, Mac, you shouldn't wo'rry yo'self with it ahnymo're. We've t'aken ca're of it fo'r ya."

Macavity just stared at his second-in-command for a few moments before quietly asking him "What… do... you… mean?"

Mungojerrie remained smirking and stated "All'ow meh to enli'ghten you…"

He and the others went into a lengthy explanation of their involvement with Genghis for the past couple weeks. Over the course of the explanation, Macavity's facial expression went from conveying confusion to surprise, then to shock, to anger, to rage, and finally to full-blown fury.

Once they finished, Macavity jumped up and lunged at Mungojerrie. He started striking him repeatedly all over his body. Mungojerrie just took it like a grown tom.

After practically beating Mungo half to death, Macavity grabbed him by the throat and lifted him into the air. He said through gritted teeth "I cannot believe… that the four of you – my top agents – would have the GALL to do this type of business behind my back! Who said you could do this!"

Mungojerrie calmly replied "Mac, w'ith all due resp'ect, we w'ere jus' doin' it ta h'elp ya make your dec'ision."

"And what if the assault fails?" Macavity yelled, "What if the survivors learn of our – I mean, your – involvement? What then, Mungojerrie? They'll view us as just as much an enemy as the Siamese!"

"Sih, th'at won't h'appen," Mungojerrie tried to assure his Boss, remaining calm, "I c'an assure you of th'is. If ya don't bel'ieve meh, let meh jus' show ya."

Macavity eased down a little when he heard that. He was a little confused by Mungojerrie's words. He set him back on the ground and asked "What do you mean 'show me?'"

"Genghis is recording the assault on the _Demagogue_ using a human video camera," Cyclops clarified.

"The attack's due to happen any time now," Flash stated.

"He's sending us live feed as we speak," Sharpie added.

"We c'ame to inv'ite ya to w'atch the sho' w'ith us," said Mungojerrie, "Ma'ybe seein' the att'ack you'self will set you'r m'ind at ease."

Macavity thought about this, and eventually nodded to accept their offer. But before they left his office, he tightened up his face and sternly told them "If the assault is successful, I will let this 'conspiracy' slide. But if it fails or if any of you defy me or do covert work behind my back again, I will make an example out of you! Let this be your warning."

Mungojerrie, Cyclops, Flash, and Sharpie nodded their acknowledgement. When Macavity was satisfied that he was successful in getting his point clearly through, the five of them made their way to the communications array. Mungojerrie was limping, but he felt perfectly fine, despite the fact that he had been harshly beaten by the only person in their organization that could get away with beating him.

When they got to the communications array, Macavity sat down in the chair in front of the screen that was presenting the feed from Genghis' camera.

"Genghis is on the line, sir," stated Cyclops.

Macavity leaned forward in his chair until his lips were right in front of the microphone. He then said into it "Are you there, Genghis? It's Macavity."

Genghis was a little surprised to hear Macavity's voice. But he quickly replied "Yes, I'm here. I take it that you have been informed of our operations?"

"Yes, I have," replied the Mystery Cat, "I intend to see this whole thing through. I want to see Growltiger die."

"You shall," Genghis assured him, "We will keep the camera running until the assault is over. As long as Growltiger lives, it will never be over."

"Excellent," Macavity murmured ominously, tapping his paws together.

After a moment of silence, Genghis said "I will have to close down the communications line soon, but the camera will continue to send you live feed."

At that moment, miles southwest of the warehouse, Genghis and his entire armada were slowly approaching the _Demagogue_. The Siamese sampans and junks were puny compared to the massive _Demagogue_. The only ship that came close to matching it in size was the _Draco_, Genghis' flagship. And Genghis had ordered the crew on the _Draco _to stay about a hundred feet away from the _Demagogue_. That way, the smaller ships could still approach undetected.

Genghis was on one of the front ships in the fleet. He turned to two of his best swimmers and told them "According to the information Mungojerrie and his colleagues sent us, there is a hatch concealing a secret entrance to the ship's bottom deck hidden in the water. I need the two of you to swim down there, get inside through that hatch, make your way to the Engine Room, eliminate any crewmembers down there, and neutralize the engines. Contact me once you have succeeded."

The two cats nodded and climbed over the side of the sampan. They got into the water and swam below the surface. They swam down to the bottom of the ship and spotted the hatch. With some difficulty, they managed to pull it open and climb up a ladder that led them up to the cargo hold.

At that same time, Growltiger and Griddlebone were standing together on the top deck, looking up at the moon. It was radiating plenty of light onto them at that time. It was quite a marvelous sight.

Its radiance made Growltiger feel somewhat majestic. He turned to his mate and said "Grida, do you remember the first time we saw _Sapphires on the Windowsill_?"

She thought about this for a second and then nodded. "I loved that musical."

"Did you know that Tumblebrutus is Gus the Theatre Cat's grandson?" he stated.

She was surprised to hear this. She asked him "Is he really?"

"Yes," said Growltiger, "The night after you came aboard, Tumblebrutus and I had a conversation about all of Gus's work. I told him how Gus has always been my favorite performer and such. Ever since that conversation, I've been thinking more and more about Gus's plays."

"That's nice," Griddlebone commented, "But why are you talking to me about the one I practically forced you to go to?"

"Because I remember that _Sapphires on the Windowsill _had this one Italian opera-like duet in the first act," he replied, "Right now, I am reminded of that duet. So, I was wondering… would you like to sing it with me?"

She turned to him and smiled, "I'd love to, Growl."

Growltiger purred affectionately. It had been a long time since Griddlebone had called him that, and he enjoyed it.

The two of them looked up at the moon and started singing in Italian.

They had an unintended audience – the Siamese down below. Some of those cats actually listened to it. Others seemed annoyed, others paid it no mind.

Genghis chuckled quietly and said under his breath "Enjoy your duet. It shall be your last."

While Growltiger and Griddlebone were singing, Carbucketty and George were still working on the last damaged conduit in the engine room. They were determined to have it repaired before the night was out.

As George studied the readouts of the conduit's main systems, Carbucketty welded some of the circuitry back together. They were making great progress in repairing the conduit, but parts of it were a little more difficult to fix than others.

At one point, Carbucketty stood up and said "I think I'll need some additional equipment to repair this conduit."

"Alright," said George, "I'll go get it."

"No, I'll get it," Carbucketty assured him, "I know what exactly to look for. You just keep an eye on those schematics. If they start to fluctuate erratically, cut power to the auxiliary mainframe."

"Got it," George agreed.

Carbucketty left the engine room to get some equipment from the cargo hold. George was left alone for the time being.

The room was dimly lit to conserve the power they needed to test the engines. But George needed a little light to work on his report of all the resources they made use of to repair the conduits.

He walked over to his desk on the other side of the engines (The engines were in the direct center of the large room). George sat down at his desk and turned the lamp on. From there, he started working on his report.

About two minutes later, he thought he heard movement behind him. He turned around in his chair, but no one was there. So he dismissed the notion and turned back to his work.

Had George looked a little more closely, he would have seen two figures hidden in the shadows. The two of them were stealthily approaching him from behind, being sure not to make a single sound as they moved.

George did not even notice them as they approached him from behind. He just kept working on his report. Then one of the figures made a signal to the other.

Suddenly, George was grabbed from behind by the two shadowy figures. One of them threw his paw over his mouth and restrained his arms simultaneously. George struggled to break free of his attackers, but he could not.

The other figure also used one of his paws to restrain George's arms. In his other paw, he held a long, thin object. The figure slowly raised the object up to George's throat, and neatly ran it along his neckline. It was very cold and made of shiny metal.

George suddenly felt as if his neck was leaking…

A bit further down the docks, Grumbuskin and the others were not very far from the docks at East Molesey.

While they walked, Grumbuskin turned to Growltiger's children and asked them "What will you first do when you are reunited with your parents?"

"We've already got that planned out," stated Scurtena, "First, we're going to apologize for all that we have done and how much emotional pain we've put them under."

"Then we'll try to make amends for everything," Bellazni continued, "We're actually looking forward to seeing them now."

"We've heard a lot of stories about the _Demagogue_," Dawlimer commented, "But we never thought for a moment that we would see it with our own eyes."

"It's a wonderful ship," stated Ralpharite, "You'll love being aboard."

All of a sudden, Jemima stopped walking. Tumblebrutus turned to her and asked "Everything alright?"

Jemima did not respond. She did not even seem to hear Tumble. Her eyes appeared to be staring into nothingness, as if she was in a trance.

The others stopped to check up on her.

"What's wrong with Jemima?" asked Grumbuskin.

"I'm not entirely sure…" said Tumble, "But I have a theory. Do you remember when I told you the other day that she can sense danger on a path before she actually encounters it?"

"Yes, I do," replied Grumbuskin.

"Well, I think that that exact thing is happening right now," Tumblebrutus finished.

A moment later, Jemima came out of her trance and told her tomfriend "You're right, Tumble. Something is definitely not right here."

Tumblebrutus turned to Coricopat and Tantomile, hoping that they might know something.

"We believe she is correct," proclaimed Coricopat, "We can sense… many minds… close by…"

"Minds filled with wrath…" declared Tantomile.

"With malice," said Cori.

"With hatred," said Tanto.

"With a lust for blood," said Cori.

"With a desire to… kill," said Tanto.

"And they're on our current path," Jemima added.

Grumbuskin looked around at the group. He told them "I want everyone on their guard. We have to get to the _Demagogue _as quickly as possible."

To move more quickly, the eight toms all pitched in to help move the trolley down the docks. The four queens travelled closely behind, looking over their shoulders constantly.

Back on the _Demagogue_, Carbucketty had just returned back to the Engine Room with the tools he needed. He noticed that George was not there, but he paid no heed to it initially; the engines were in fine condition.

He started using his tools to work on the engines' conduit. He whistled a tune as he worked, keeping his mind focused.

Before long, he got to a point where he needed some assistance. He needed someone to monitor the engines' schematics as he worked to confirm that his tools were operating on it properly.

He called out "Hey, George! Can you come help me out?"

There was no response. Carbucketty stood up and called out again "George, are you there?"

There still came no response. Carbucketty sighed, rolled his eyes, and started walking to the other side of the room. He called out "This is no time to screw around. Remember that we promised the Captain that we would have the engines fixed before dawn?"

Carbucketty waited for a response, but he got none. So he continued walking to the opposite end of the room.

He could see that the lamp to George's desk was on, which meant that he was most likely working there. He turned around the corner and he did indeed see George sitting in his chair, facing his desk. But he was not working; he was just sitting there.

Carbucketty scoffed and took a couple steps closer to his colleague, saying "George, I don't want to disappoint the Captain. But if we just sit around on the job like that, he will be mighty disappointed."

George did not stir. He remained sitting in his chair.

Carbucketty walked up to him and placed his paw on the back of his chair. He said as he slowly revolved the chair around "I know that you're tired and that it's been a long day, but we still have to get this- Oh my Everlasting Cat!"

Once the chair had been turned around completely, Carbucketty recoiled, dropping his tools in the process.

George was sitting in his chair directly in front of him. His foot was slightly twitching, but no other part of him was. His mouth was half-open and his eyes were staring into nothingness. The center of his neck had a long cut in it, as if it had been slit open with a knife. A small trail of blood was slowly dripping from that cut.

George was dead.

Carbucketty could only stare in complete terror. He was so shocked that he did not even hear two sets of footsteps approaching him from behind.

Without warning, the same two figures moved in on Carbucketty. One of them grabbed him by the arms while the other wrapped a thick string around the neck.

Carbucketty abruptly returned to his senses and tried to fend off his attackers. But they were too powerful. He tried to scream, but the string around his neck prevented any noises from coming out of his mouth. He was being garroted!

Carbucketty desperately tried to liberate himself from the figures, but they would not relent. While one held onto his arms, the other pulled the string even tighter.

After about a minute, Carbucketty succumbed to oxygen deprivation. He stopped struggling and his head fell against his chest. The two figures soon let his body drop to the ground. It lay there, devoid of life.

Once that was accomplished, the two figures went over to the main system and shut down all power to the engines. Then they removed some key components from the panels. Without those components, the engines were useless.

Once they were done, they contacted Genghis via the use of a computer and told him "Sir, we've done it. The ship is disabled."

"Very good, gentlemen," Genghis told them, "Now, find someplace to hide and wait until we come aboard."

"Yes, sir," they agreed.

Outside, Growltiger and Griddlebone were still singing the Italian opera duet. In the water below, the sampans and junks had completely surrounded the _Demagogue_. But none of the Siamese dared to move in until they got the signal from Genghis.

After a short time, Nihaar went up to his Captain and asked him "What are we waiting for, sir?"

Genghis smirked and replied "I like this song, Nihaar. First, I want to wait until they are finished singing. Then, we will move in."

Nihaar agreed. He was eager to attack, but he was willing to wait a few more minutes.

Back in the navigations room, Victor had regained consciousness. He pulled himself to his feet and rubbed his forehead as his vision returned.

He quickly remembered what he had been planning to do shortly before he passed out. He was about to make his way to the door when he happened to look at the main navigations unit out of the corner of his eye. Something was not right with it.

Victor ran over to the unit and studied it. The _Demagogue _was shown to be in the middle of the charts as always, but there was something unusual going on. Dozens of small ships were shown to be all around the barge. None of them were identified, but Victor could recognize their designation anywhere: They were Siamese warships.

Thinking quickly, Victor looked around the room and spotted the alarm button. He ran over to that console and slammed his paw down on the button. The very moment he pressed it, Growltiger and Griddlebone had finished their duet.

The alarm blared loudly all over the ship. Every crewmember aboard that ship rose from his bed. Some of them were initially annoyed that the alarm was going off in the middle of the night, but when they all paid close attention, they panicked. This specific alarm could only mean one thing: An incursion.

Working quickly, every member of the crew rushed to the arsenal to arm themselves. Bill Bailey made sure each and every one of them was prepared to fight.

The Siamese heard the alarm, too. Some covered their ears, but Genghis did not. He just turned to a few of his sailors in his ship and ordered them "Light the fireworks!"

They complied. Within moments, the sky was full of bright bursts of green, blue, yellow, red, and a multitude of other colors.

All the Siamese knew this as the attack signal.

Genghis drew his blade and held it in the air. He shouted at the top of his voice "Attack!"


	33. The Last Stand

Note: I'd like to thank everyone that's reviewed so far, especially Emily Doreen Atkinson, SummerRose12, and BlueSky509. I know that a lot of you have gone reading the entire story without reviewing. However, if any of you plan to review just one chapter in this story, I must **request **that this be the chapter you review. It's alright with me if you choose just this chapter and this one alone to review, but please, just review it. I want it to be critiqued. Partly because I am pretty sure that the rating will have to be bumped up to "M" after this chapter.

Second note: Some of you will probably find this chapter to be very epic, but I know a way to make it even more epic. Open up another internet tab go to Youtube. Type in "Prince Negaafellaga" and when you get the results, click on the second video. [the one marked "Prince Negaafellaga - Introduction (Feat. Starcrimes,A-Million)"]. It will start playing one of the most incredible soundtrack singles in the world. Play the song in the background while you read. I can assure you that it will make this chapter seem ten times more epic! But do not play it just yet. For now, just pause the video and start reading the chapter; I'll tell you when it would be most ideal to start playing the song. Or, if you're interested, you could also click on one of the featured videos for that "Prince Negaafellaga" video, which is entitled "Requiem for a Dream – Full Theme Song" and start playing that one right at the start of the chapter. It's the same song, only it has an extended beginning. I myself could not decide which version was better; they're both pretty awesome. That's just a suggestion, though. Anyway, please review this chapter!

Just a few hundred meters away, Grumbuskin spotted the fireworks. He stopped dead and pointed them out to the others.

"Oh, my Everlasting Cat…" was all he could say. Soon, Dominev, Placondgo, Ralpharite, and Tumblebrutus were also staring in terror at the colorful explosions.

"What is it?" Jemima asked her tomfriend.

Tumblebrutus told her nervously "That's the Siamese attack signal. It's coming directly from the docks at East Molesey. Right where the _Demagogue _should be."

Grumbuskin had Dominev and Placondgo distribute weapons all around the group, even to the queens. He wanted them all prepared in the event that they would be entering a battle.

"Leave the trolley," he ordered the group, "We'll come back for it later. Right now, we have more important things to worry about."

While all this happened, more things had happened on the _Demagogue_. The alarm and the fireworks had taken Growltiger and Griddlebone completely by surprise. They turned to the navigations room and saw Victor running out of it.

"Victor, what the hell is going on?" Growltiger demanded.

"Sir, we are completely surrounded by the Siamese!" the Navigator reported.

"What?" shouted Growltiger, "Why didn't you report this earlier?"

"I think someone laced my drinking glass with a very potent sedative, sir!" replied Victor, "Fortunately, it wasn't long-lasting. But that is irrelevant to our **real **problem."

"Indeed it is," Growltiger agreed.

Soon, Bill Bailey, Farios, and every other member of the skeleton crew came onto the main deck, armed and ready for battle.

"How many ships did the sensors pick up?" Growltiger asked Victor.

"Lots," was all Victor said, but with an unpleasant emphasis, "All I can say for certain is that we're vastly outnumbered."

"Well, it may seem hopeless," Bill Bailey remarked, approaching his fellow senior officers, "But I for one am not going down without a fight!"

Bill Bailey's position was shared with everyone else. He was armed more heavily than anyone else there. The Security Chief handed both Victor and Growltiger an additional sword he had taken from the armory, saying "You may need these."

"Right," Victor muttered, holding the blade's hilt in both his paws.

Farios came running over to Growltiger. He looked like he was on the verge of entering a catatonic state of mind. He said slowly "C-C-Captain, there… there is s-something I h-have to tell you."

Growltiger looked at him concerned and asked "What is it, Farios?"

"S-Sir, I… I just came f-from the engine r-room," Farios replied nervously, "I w-went to get C-Carbucketty and G-George. But… they're… they're… they're dead, sir."

The color almost drained from Growltiger's face when he heard this. "Dead? How is that possible?"

"We must already have an intruder on board," declared Victor.

"That must be it," Growltiger agreed. He turned back to Farios and told him "I want you to search the lower decks for any signs of the Siamese. Secure the rooms as you look through them."

"Yes, sir," Farios nodded. He turned around and headed down the stairwell to the next deck.

Everyone else stayed on the bridge with Growltiger. Griddlebone was a nervous wreck; Growltiger did his best to comfort her. The Bravo Cat turned to his skeleton crew and told them "Gentlemen, I wish I had a motivational speech to give to you tonight. Some people are able to make one up on the spot. But I'm not very good at impromptu stuff. So now, all I can do is tell you to be brave and fight like the honorable toms you are. We may not live through this night, but I want to take as many of the Siamese with us as possible. Now, anyone who does not wish to stay is free to leave. Just head down to the lifeboat bay and get out that way. But anyone who is ready to die defending this vessel may stay. You are in control of your own fate, gentlemen. Any tom that wishes to leave may do so."

Growltiger looked around at his crew. He was practically expecting them all to start filing down the stairs to the lifeboat bay. After all, given the situation, that was what any sane cat would have done.

But every tom there held his ground. Growltiger was both touched and surprised. But then it occurred to him that his crew probably was not as sane as he imagined.

"Captain, we swore our allegiance to you long ago," Victor reminded him, "We are still with you. And we shall fight with you to our own ends."

There were strong mutters of agreement from every other member of the crew. Growltiger looked around at them and smiled a proud smile. He told them "Gentlemen, I am honored to have had you on this ship. You are without a doubt the finest crew that has ever sailed this river."

"The honor is ours, sir," stated Bill Bailey, "Most of us here owe our lives to you. We feel it is only appropriate that we stand by your side to the very end."

Not another word was spoken after that. The crew just waited for the Siamese to come aboard. They had spent the last few minutes getting into their attack position, but they were due to board the ship very soon.

Griddlebone clung to Growltiger, fear visible in her eyes. Growltiger tried to comfort his mate, but he himself was somewhat afraid as well. For the first time since leaving London, he put the hope of seeing his children again out of his mind. At that moment, all that mattered was defending his ship, his crew, and his mate.

**(Okay, if you're going to play that song, start it right now. I would actually recommend first reading this and then rereading it with the song in the background, as reading the content a little quickly would be required to really enjoy the song.)**

The Siamese moved their ships even closer to the _Demagogue_ until they were right along its walls. Each ship carried at least ten cats, all of them armed with a carving knife, a toasting fork, or another deadly weapon. Once the ship was completely surrounded, many of the Siamese started climbing up the barge on all sides. They scaled quickly, using any cracks or crevices they could spot to make their way up.

Originally, they planned to climb a little more quietly. But now, quietness was irrelevant. All that mattered as that they get aboard as quickly as possible. All that mattered to them now was eradicating the enemy. They scaled the walls of the ship on all sides as fast as they could, carrying their weapons in their mouths.

Genghis was carrying the camera on a strap over his shoulder. He was determined to record the whole of the battle for Macavity and his henchcats to see. It was part of his sick sense of humor, which he was famous for. A few of his assistants were bringing up the camera's sound system behind him.

In the center of the bridge, Growltiger and his crew stood close together, waiting for something to happen. Before long, Bill Bailey shouted "Look!"

Everyone turned in the direction he pointed at. Something was crawling up over the side of the ship. A figure slowly pulled itself up to the main deck; it was the first member of the Siamese boarding party. The Siamese cat took his blade out of his mouth and eyed the crew of the _Demagogue _with a bloodthirsty look in his eyes.

Soon, one of his comrades climbed up next to him. On the other side of the ship, four more made their way to the top. Before long, the bridge was crawling with armed Siamese cats. Growltiger and his company were surrounded.

In all that activity, Genghis and his assistants had set up the camera on the bridge. He had it placed on a tripod and remarked sarcastically "Smile, Growltiger."

The Bravo Cat sneered at the Siamese Captain. Genghis smirked back and gave one light wave of his paw. He said quietly to his soldiers "Have at 'em."

Immediately, all the Siamese on the bridge charged towards the _Demagogue_'s skeleton crew. Growltiger whispered "Hold… just hold your ground. Wait for it… wait… NOW!"

He, Victor, and ten others lunged forward at the approaching Siamese, waving their blades fiercely. Soon, seven Siamese cats were clutching their stomachs, bleeding profusely.

The rest of Growltiger's company moved in to attack. All over the bridge, there were the sounds of metal clashing and cats yelling.

In all the turmoil, Griddlebone screamed and retreated to the stairwell to hide in the lower decks. Everyone else remained on the bridge, literally fighting for their lives.

Growltiger took his sword and thrust it into the chest of the closest Siamese soldier. The soldier's breath left him almost instantly. Working quickly, the Bravo Cat withdrew his blade and slashed at two Siamese behind him. Both of them had their throats cut open in the process.

A fourth Siamese tried to stab Growltiger with his spear. The Bravo Cat rebounded, drew a dagger out of his belt, and stabbed that soldier directly through the eye, killing her instantly.

Victor was having just as much luck. He snuck up behind one Siamese soldier and stabbed him clearly through the back so that his sword impaled him. Once the soldier was dead, Victor pushed him towards another Siamese tom, who was in turn stabbed by the same sword.

Victor did a handspring forward, picking up a spear in the process. He spotted an archer a few meters away. He focused his aim on the archer and tossed the spear towards her. The spear hit the archer directly in her chest cavity, killing her.

Bill Bailey was fighting close to Victor. He stabbed another Siamese soldier in the center of the face and took her toasting fork. Then he used it to kill three more Siamese: the first he stabbed, the second's throat he slashed open, and the third he impaled. Then he picked up a javelin and gored another Siamese straight through the head.

As he withdrew the javelin from the corpse, Bill Bailey savored the moment. Nothing brought more pleasure to him than killing cats of foreign race, especially the Siamese.

But his moment was about to be cut short. On the other end of the ship, another Siamese archer had gotten onto a higher surface. This archer had just withdrawn an arrow from his quiver and notched it onto his bow. Now he was looking around for a target.

Soon, he spotted Bill Bailey. The Security Chief was dishing out the most punishment by far. The archer saw it as ideal to eliminate him first.

Slowly, the archer raised his bow and took aim. When he had his shot perfectly lined up, he fired. The arrow flew thirty feet straight through the air and sank directly into Bill Bailey's back.

Bill Bailey let out a shot of pain, dropped his weapons, and collapsed onto his knees. Victor noticed this and ran over to help his friend. That's when he realized that the arrow had gone directly through his heart.

"No…" Victor whispered quietly. He grabbed onto the arrow and hastily pulled it out. Bill Bailey did not make a sound.

Victor turned him onto his back, whispering "No… please… no… Bill, don't die. Don't fucking die on me."

Bill Bailey just weakly smiled up at his friend and told him "I always wanted it to end this way, Vick. But if you live… tell Sillabub that I… I love her."

Victor nodded in understanding, tears welling up in his eyes. All around him, people were dying, yet no one dared to attack him at that moment.

Bill Bailey's smile remained for a few moments more, but then it faded. Bill Bailey's eyes closed and his paws dropped to his side. He had died doing what he enjoyed the most and what he was best at: defending his Captain, his ship, and his friends.

Victor darkly looked up at the area around him. A few more of his friends were already dead as well. The Siamese reinforcements kept pouring in on all sides. It was a hopeless battle. They were outmatched and outranged. But at that moment, all Victor could think about was Bill Bailey's death.

He had been shot in the back. In the back! What sort of horrendous coward would not even give their opponent the honor of facing him directly? It was almost too much for Victor to comprehend.

Victor suddenly felt cold rage surging through his veins. He looked around and spotted the archer that had shot Bill Bailey. Then he picked up two swords and charged directly toward him.

Just when the archer was about to fire again, Victor reached him and stabbed him in the throat with the same arrow that had killed Bill Bailey. The archer dropped his bow and tried to gasp for breath. Victor watched him, personally enjoying the archer's pain. Once he was dead, Victor turned back into the battle and charged towards a group of Siamese soldiers, shouting in fury. At that moment, all he wanted to do was kill as many of them as possible.

Victor ran through the group, waving his blades left and right at the Siamese. Some he stabbed; some he slashed. In less than a minute, he had killed more than a score of them. And then, his luck turned against him.

One of the Siamese tripped Victor, causing him to fall flat on his back. Victor rolled and rolled on the ground to avoid getting hit by the Siamese weapons. Finally, he ended up near the side of the ship. But his arm slipped and he dropped one of his blades.

Victor reached out to recover his blade, but another of the Siamese spotted him and ran over with his own weapon raised in the air. Just as Victor wrapped his paw around the hilt to his sword, the Siamese soldier raised his open weapon in the air and brought it crashing down.

A moment later, Victor was shouting in agony. He felt such terrible pain in his left wrist that he could not feel his left front paw. When he opened his eyes and looked at his leg. That was when he realized that he had no left front paw. His attacker had just severed it clean off!

Victor was horrified. The concept of dying did not disturb his mind in the least, but to have his paw amputated like that; it was too much to bear.

Victor picked up his other sword and stabbed his attacker straight through the chest. But he did not bother pulling the sword back out. He just rose to his feet and staggered across the deck, holding his left arm with his right front paw.

He went over to the edge of the ship and vomited over the side. He had been so traumatized by losing his paw that vomiting was the only thing he could think to do.

Two other Siamese cats noticed him after a few moments. They quickly got an idea. They ran over to him, each grabbed him by one of his hind legs, and pushed him over the ledge. Victor was thrown directly overboard.

Growltiger's forces were quickly thinning out. His skeleton crew of thirty had been reduced to no more than a dozen. But Growltiger still fought. He fought with the strength of many cats.

Every time a member of Genghis' army approached him, Growltiger would kill him or her. He was seriously determined to kill as many of them as he possibly could.

One Siamese waved his fork at Growltiger. In turn, the Bravo Cat grabbed him by the throat and snapped his neck. Another soldier tried to stab Growltiger several times; Growltiger took out a dagger and stabbed her upside the chin.

Growltiger quickly turned his attention to the nearest soldier. He grabbed him, kicked him onto the ground, and stabbed him in the chest. Then he got back onto his feet, grabbed another soldier by her head fur, pulled her head back, and ran his blade along her throat, slicing it open.

Growltiger felt a new-found source of rage accumulate inside of him. First, he had lost George and Carbucketty. Then, he had lost Bill Bailey. Now, it looked like Victor was gone, too. Four members of his senior staff had been killed in one night. He was determined to avenge their deaths. And what could be better than making the Siamese pay for their spilt blood with more blood?

By then, everyone else was either dead or overwhelmed. The Siamese had managed to take a few of them alive and hold them on the opposite side of the bridge.

Now Growltiger was left fighting on his own. His fur was soaked in fresh blood, as were his weapons. But he was not about to give in. He fought and fought, letting his primal craving for blood drive him on.

Dozens of Siamese soldiers surrounded him. It would have been so easy to kill him if they all moved in on him together, but Genghis had given them specific instructions to capture Growltiger alive.

At one point, he was surrounded by five Siamese soldiers. He stabbed two of them (one in the neck; one in the stomach), slashed open the chest of another, and broke the fourth one's neck. But the fifth one managed to get behind him and moved in. He raised his sword high in the air, and struck Growltiger with the hilt on the back of his head.

Growltiger stopped moving and slowly dropped to his knees. Then he drifted into unconsciousness.

The Siamese soldier smirked down at the fallen Captain and looked up at Genghis. He called out "We've got him, sir."

Genghis smiled and remarked "Excellent work. Now keep him restrained until he wakes up. Then we will finish him."

At that, he looked into the camera and said "I look forward to talking more about this alliance of ours in the future."

"As do I," Macavity spoke over the line.

Genghis turned away from the camera and went over to where Nihaar was standing. He gazed up at the sky and commented "It's a lovely night. Very lovely night, indeed. Ideal for a walk. In fact, when Growltiger wakes up, I'll take him on a walk… off the plank."

Nihaar grinned evilly and replied "That sounds very good, sir."

Genghis nodded and also grinned evilly. It was only a matter of time before Growltiger's domain would be brought to a swift end.

**(If you've planned your reading pace just right, the song should finish right about here. Whichever one you picked – the short version or the long one – it should end here.)**


	34. Unpleasant Reunions

Note: Due to all the heavy graphic violence and mild profanity in the last chapter, I've decided to move this up to an M-rating. By the way, sorry about taking so long to update. I've been busy with all my work. Had my first college exam on Monday, in fact. But I can still find plenty of time for this.

Victor was not dead. He was badly wounded, but not yet dead.

He had fallen a great length after being thrown overboard by those two Siamese soldiers. But he ended up landing in one of the abandoned sampans.

He lay still for a moment to recover from the fall. His left front leg was still immersed in pain. He was losing blood at a slow but steady rate.

Soon, he regained the strength to stand and looked around. He realized he was still alive, but that he was off the _Demagogue_. The battle still raged on above him, but there was nothing he could do about it. He still had the strength to climb up the sides of the ship, but climbing would be impossible with only one front paw.

_I've got to get help_, he decided. He recalled that most of the crew was at the celebration at Hampton Court. If he could find them and bring them back to the docks, there just might be a chance that he could save Growltiger.

Victor made his way to the front of the sampan and quietly started up the engines. Then he began making his way out of the harbor. Just about a minute later, the battle ended.

He looked back at the top of the _Demagogue _as he left, thinking _Hang in there, Captain. Help is on the way_.

Back on the _Demagogue_, in the lower decks, Griddlebone was looking for a place to hide. The sound of metal clashing and battle cries had ceased from above. Griddlebone knew that that could only mean one of two possible things: the danger was over or it was just beginning.

She made her way down to Officer's Lounge, hoping she'd be able to hide there. What she found took her completely by surprise.

The two Siamese intruders who had snuck on board were waiting there, helping themselves to cocktails.

They turned to the door when they heard someone come in. When they saw who it was, they smirked and raised their glasses in the air.

"Good evening, oh fair one," one of them slyly remarked.

Griddlebone slowly backed away from them. The two of them continued eying her closely.

"Where are you going?" stated the second one mockingly, "We ain't going to hurt you. Well, maybe just a little bit…"

Griddlebone turned around and ran. The two Siamese intruders threw down their glasses, drew their weapons, and chased after her.

She ran through the hallways and made her way to the fifth deck; her pursuers followed close behind.

Eventually, they cornered her on Deck 5 in one of the cannon rooms. They chased her into a room, but did not follow her immediately.

One turned to the other and offered "Would you care to go first?"

The other one nodded and said "I'd like that very much."

He walked into the room first, eying Griddlebone closely with a look of desire in his eyes. She may have been in her middle years, but she still had the physique of a young adult queen.

Griddlebone tried her best to bear her claws and look intimidating, but she failed. The Siamese soldier came closer and closer. When he was just a few inches away from her, he paused and looked her over.

"What a night it will be," he muttered under his breath.

Before he could move in, he heard a grunt coming from behind. He turned around and saw that his partner standing in the doorway. But he was standing absolutely still without moving a muscle.

Then he fell flat on his face. A very sharp blade was protruding vertically from the back of his neck. Someone had just stabbed him where it was guaranteed to kill him instantaneously.

Before the other Siamese cat could move in to investigate, Griddlebone attacked him from behind, taking him off his guard. She grabbed his front legs and held them behind his back.

A moment later, Farios came into the room. In his left paw, he was holding a blade identical to the one lodged in the newly deceased Siamese tom's neck. It soon became obvious to Griddlebone that he was the one who had killed the intruder.

Farios slowly walked over to Griddlebone, telling her "Hold him."

She complied and kept the other Siamese intruder restrained. Farios looked down at him for a moment, and then kicked him in the chest. The tom coughed violently and continued to struggle. Griddlebone did not relent.

After a few seconds, Farios took his other blade and held it in front of the intruder's face.

"This is for George and Carbucketty, you PIECE OF SHIT!" he shouted.

With that, he stabbed the intruder directly between the eyes. Death was almost instantaneous for the Siamese cat. But in that one point before death, he felt unbelievable pain.

Griddlebone let go of the corpse and watched as it twitched on the ground. She looked up at Farios and told him "Thank you."

"Oh, it's my pleasure, milady," he remarked as he retrieved his daggers from the two bodies, "But I'm afraid the Siamese have won the battle."

Griddlebone was certain she had misheard him. She whispered in shock "What? How can you be sure?"

"You may have noticed that the noise has stopped," he responded, "That is because the fighting has stopped as well. If our side had won, there would be the sounds of Siamese ships retreating. But I've looked all around; the _Demagogue _is still surrounded by the sampans. Believe me, milady; I can be sure of this more than anything."

Griddlebone looked devastated. She seemed to be struggling to contain her shock and distress. Farios told her "Milady, we must get off this ship immediately."

Griddlebone seemed flabbergasted by the suggestion. "And leave any survivors here to **die**?"

"No, of course not," said Farios, "Most of the crew is at Hampton Court. If we can get there in time and return them back, we just may have enough time to rescue the survivors. I am sure that the Captain is one of them."

"How can you be sure?" asked Griddlebone.

"It's a timeless pirate tradition to execute the Captain of the vessel once his ship is taken," Farios responded, "But he is given time to reflect on his life first. Then he is given a traditional type of death."

"Such as?"

Farios hesitated a moment before answering "Walking the plank."

He could easily determine that Griddlebone was horrified upon hearing that statement. He told her "There is still time, milady. If we hurry, we just might be able to save him."

Griddlebone agreed. The two of them made their way down to the lifeboat bay. From there, they prepped one of the lifeboats for departure, opened the bay door, and hastily made their getaway.

Back on the bridge, Growltiger had regained consciousness. The Siamese that had been guarding him noticed this and called out to Genghis, "He is awake, sir."

"Good…" stated the Siamese Captain. He turned to Nihaar and ordered him "Bring him to the other end of the ship. The plank is located there."

Nihaar nodded and went to give these instructions to a few cats standing by. On the other end of the ship, the captured crewmembers were being kept under close guard. Among them were Najalim and Quaftil.

Genghis ordered Unbedim "Take a squad and search the lower decks for any other members of the crew. I believe I saw someone go down the stairwell during the battle."

"Yes, sir," said the grey tom. He put together a group of about one dozen soldiers and set off on a search.

Genghis then told Mouveilyr "Have everybody that is not guarding the prisoners or scouting this vessel return to the ships. I want as many of us as possible off this ship."

"Why, sir?" asked the black tom.

"Because I plan to sail it myself back to Thames Ditton," replied Genghis with a smirk, "But it won't get far with all those sampans and junks blocking its way."

"Very well, sir," agreed Mouveilyr. The black tom bowed and went to round up any nonessential personnel. Before long, less than sixty Siamese cats remained on board. Sixty alive ones, at any rate. Their number of dead on that ship alone was just about a score short of one hundred.

Nihaar came back to Genghis a moment later and informed him "Sir, the plank is ready."

"Excellent," smirked the Siamese Captain, "In that case, let the execution commence."

A hundred feet away from the docks, the search party was nearing the _Demagogue_. But when Grumbuskin spotted the ships crowded at the base of the barge, he had the others come to a halt.

"What is it, sir?" inquired Ralpharite.

"Ralph, one guess," Grumbuskin stated, gesturing to the docks. He asked rhetorically "What do those ships look like to you?"

Ralpharite focused his attention in that general direction. He quickly realized that those were in fact Siamese sampans. But most of them were moving away from the ship and headed in the opposite direction."

"Sir, those are definitely Siamese vessels," answered the Intelligence Officer, "But what I do not understand is why the majority of them are departing."

"I have a very plausible theory for that," said Grumbuskin, "It's because Genghis does not like to have a large crowd for his little show."

"'Show?'" said Tumble, "What do you mean? What show?"

"Look" was all Grumbuskin said as he pointed to the top of the _Demagogue_.

There, they saw that the metallic plank was being extended. There was a tom standing right in front of it being restrained by several other toms.

It did not take long for everyone to realize that it was Growltiger. They stared in terror as he was forced onto the plank.

"Oh, no…" whispered Dawlimer.

"We're too late…" said Scurtena quietly.

"If only we got here sooner…" spoke Bellazni.

On the bridge, Growltiger was roughly thrown onto the metallic appendage by the three cats restraining him. He turned around and looked back, staring in cold anger.

The three Siamese cats stood aside and let Genghis advance just short of the plank. He glared as his longtime rival and told him "I have waited for this moment for a very long time. Time and time again I have tried to send you to the depths of this river where you belong. Yet my men never come through."

"That just shows how dumb they are," Growltiger jeered.

A few of the Siamese soldiers scowled at him and made threatening gestures, but Genghis had them all hold their ground. He went on "You have an extensive history of blood on your paws. Especially the blood of my people. Long ago, you murdered Joezcam, one of the finest Siamese sailors ever to sail along this river. Recently, you killed over a hundred of my soldiers at our outpost at Chelsea. And this very spot has been used many a time to kill several of my own soldiers. And now, what better way to avenge their deaths than having you share their fates?"

Growltiger smirked and replied "This is long from over, you pathetic excuse of a feline. I may not live to see tomorrow, but my allies will not stop until you and I share the same grave – this river."

Genghis lightly shrugged and said "Perhaps, they'll fight. But tonight, your domain will officially come to an end."

Growltiger saw no more need for words. He just said "Let's get this over with" and turned around.

"Very well," said Genghis. Two of the Siamese soldiers standing guard took their spears and pointed them in Growltiger's general direction. He slowly started walking to the end of the plank.

Much was going through his mind at that moment. He thought about his friends, his crew, his ship, his mate, and many other things. He thought about death. What would there be for him in death? Would he be reacquainted with all the friends he lost? Who would be waiting for him?

So many questions ran through his mind. It unsettled him so.

Just before Growltiger reached the end of the plank, he looked straight in front of him. There, something caught his eye. Something on the shoreline.

He was quickly able to determine that it was a group of twelve cats. He looked a little closer and saw that Grumbuskin was at the front of the group. Tumblebrutus and Ralpharite were standing on either side of him. Behind them stood Dominev, Placondgo, Jemima, Coricopat, and Tantomile.

He had identified eight of the twelve cats. But the four in the back were a little harder to make out. Finally, he established that one of them a yellow and brown tom that he had never seen before in his life. The last three… he would recognize them anywhere.

For the first time in many months, he caught sight of his children. His son Dawlimer and his daughters Scurtena and Bellazni were with the group. It would appear as though Grumbuskin and the others had succeeded in convincing his children to come back.

At that moment, for the first time in a very long while, Growltiger felt peace. Just seeing his children one last time seemed to set his mind at ease. All his troubles seemed to momentarily go away at the sight of them. He felt happiness, bliss. He was content to see that they had come to see him. Knowing this made him feel pleased with himself.

Now he was ready to accept his fate.

Suddenly, he was jabbed from behind by one of the spear-wielding Siamese cats. Growltiger stumbled forward but did not fall. Then Genghis pressed a button on the console, which made the metal board shake violently. Growltiger struggled to stay on his feet, but soon lost his balance and…

Ker-flip, ker-flop!

Growltiger fell off the plank and descended into the waters of the Thames. He struggled to keep his head above the waters, but he was not a very good swimmer. In fact, he was one of the worst swimmers he knew, even with regards to cats.

The Siamese soldiers that had left the vicinity had purposely taken all the sampans on that side of the ship so that he could not try to get to one of them. All he could do was struggle.

Grumbuskin and the others could only watch in horror as Growltiger tried to swim. But after a long, agonizing minute, he stopped. He just laid there totally still and facedown. Not a muscle in his body moved.

There was total silence in that area for a while. Then all the Siamese on the bridge started cheering.

"We've done it!" Genghis shouted triumphantly, "We've done it! It's done! Growltiger, the so-called 'Terror of the Thames,' is gone!"

The twelve cats on the shore were shocked. Dawlimer and each of the queens - that is, Jemima, Scurtena, and Bellazni - were fighting back tears. Tantomile was the only queen that was not fighting tears back. But she and Coricopat were both very saddened by what they had just witnessed. Roshedam, Ralpharite, Placondgo, Dominev, and Tumblebrutus could only stare in disbelief and shock.

Grumbuskin felt his blood boil in fury. He felt an impulse to make the Siamese suffer for what they had just done. But before he could act on that impulse, Tumblebrutus tapped him on the shoulder and said "Sir, there's a vessel headed this way."

Grumbuskin focused his attention further down the river. Indeed, there was not one, but **two **small ships coming their way. In fact, they were approaching the search party. One of them was a lifeboat from the _Demagogue_, but the other was a sampan!

"Get down!" Grumbuskin sternly ordered the others. They all did so promptly. Grumbuskin turned around and – gesturing forward with his head – whispered "Placondgo, Dominev."

The Tactical Officer and the Strategic Operations Officer slowly crawled across the ground until they were a couple meters ahead of the group. There, they prepared themselves to ambush the approaching boats. But they were going to wait for Grumbuskin's orders to do so.

Grumbuskin slowly stepped forward as the two boats approached. The sampan got there first. A single figure was in it, but it was covered in shadow.

Grumbuskin pointed his sword at the figure and told it "Make any sudden movements, and you shall taste cold steel."

"I may not be a pretty sight, but that's no cause for alarm, sir," the figure responded weakly.

Grumbuskin quickly realized who it was and lowered his blade. He said quietly "Victor?"

The figure merely nodded, stepped out of the shadows, and said "Yes, sir. It's me. And don't worry; that's just Farios and Griddlebone in the lifeboat."

"H-How did you get off the ship?" asked Grumbuskin as the other members of the search party rose up off the ground.

"I'll tell you the short version," answered the Second Officer, "There was a battle on the _Demagogue_. The Siamese took us completely by surprise. During the fight, I was thrown overboard. But I was able to safely land in one of the abandoned sampans surrounding the ship. That's most likely thanks to the human expression 'A cat always lands on his feet.'"

Victor paused for a moment, and then scoffed regretfully and commented "That does seem to be true, but it's a little harder to manage that when you only have three."

That last statement caught Grumbuskin's attention. "What do you mean? Three what?"

"Feet, sir," Victor replied simply.

"Explain," requested Grumbuskin.

At that, Victor held up his left front leg, revealing that his paw was missing.

Grumbuskin and the others could only stare in surprise and alarm. Grumbuskin asked him "W-W-What the fuck happened?"

"One of those Siamese sons of bitches cut it off just before I got thrown overboard," Victor recalled, "I would have rejoined the battle, but I couldn't very well climb back up the barge with only one front paw, now could I?"

"Victor, enough of these dark-humor jokes," Grumbuskin practically ordered, "We have no time for this."

Victor sighed and remarked "Whatever you say, sir."

Ralpharite and Tumblebrutus came forward and pulled Victor up to the platform they were on. By then, Farios and Griddlebone had arrived at the shore as well. Placondgo and Dominev helped them out, as well.

When he saw Farios, Tumblebrutus protectively whispered to Jemima "Get behind me. It's _him_."

She complied straight away, as she did not need any more detail than that.

Both Victor and Farios noticed this. Farios walked over to the navigator as Ralpharite wrapped the latter's open wound in gauze from his emergency first aid kit.

"Let me do the talking," Victor whispered to Farios. As Ralpharite continued to bandage his arm, he turned to Tumblebrutus and told "Tumble, Jemima, there is no need for you to panic. Farios never did you any harm."

"Never did us any harm?" Tumble spat, giving the brown and black striped tom a hostile glare, "Sure, unless you call assault and attempted rape 'harm.'"

"Tumble, a lot has happened since you and the rest of the group came here," Victor told him, "Perhaps I should enlighten you on one of these matters."

With that, Victor went into a short explanation of the investigation Najalim and Quaftil had run to conclude that Farios had been deliberately poisoned to act the way that he did. When he was finished, both Tumble and Jemima were stunned. They looked at Farios with facial expression conveying many mixed emotions.

After a moment, Farios approached the two of them; they did not recoil. He told them "While I was not in control of my body or my mind at the time, I want to personally apologize for what happened. If there is anything I can ever do to make up for it, just let me know."

Jemima and Tumblebrutus both slowly nodded their heads.

Farios then turned in the direction of the rest of the group. There were six cats he did not recognize. One was Roshedam; the other two were Coricopat and Tantomile (he had been in the brig when Tumble had first brought them aboard; so he knew nothing of them). However, when he looked at the other three, he distinctly saw parts of both Growltiger and Griddlebone in them.

He said after a moment "You must be our Captain's children."

"That is correct," nodded Dawlimer.

Farios smiled and said "There's somebody here that wants to see you."

He stepped aside to reveal Griddlebone. The white Persian queen stepped forward a few steps and stopped a couple feet in front of her children. There was a short interval of awkward silence. Finally, the three young adults came forward and embraced their mother. She embraced them in return. All four of them started welling up with tears of many mixed emotions - mainly sorrow, joy, and regret.

Griddlebone held them tight; as if she never wanted to let go. But eventually, she did.

"I've missed all of you dearly," she said after a short time.

"We have missed you, too, mother," stated Scurtena quietly.

"More than we realized," remarked Bellazni.

"We're so glad to see you again," admitted Dawlimer.

Griddlebone smiled at her three children and looked over at Roshedam. She asked aloud "Who is this?"

The three young adults went over to the yellow and brown tom. Bellazni explained "This is Roshedam. He's been like a caretaker to us for the past few months."

"I thought he was just a contact in the network," Griddlebone commented to no one in particular.

"Apparently not," stated Grumbuskin.

"He's very caring and responsible, Mom," Scurtena informed her mother.

Griddlebone looked over at the yellow and brown tom, smiled, and said "Thank you so much for looking after them."

Roshedam smiled and replied "It was a tremendous pleasure, ma'am."

While they talked, Tumblebrutus went over to Grumbuskin and asked him "Sir, what happens now?"

Grumbuskin was a little uncertain as to what exactly Tumble was asking. He said "What do you mean?"

"Sir, the _Demagogue _may be captured by the Siamese," Tumblebrutus stated, "But with Growltiger… gone, that makes you the Captain."

Grumbuskin admitted that Tumble did indeed have a point. He had to accept this responsibility by himself.

He turned back to look at the _Demagogue _again. The Siamese were preparing to depart the harbor.

After a short period of silence, Grumbuskin replied with a modicum of regret and sorrow in his voice "We'll have to destroy the _Demagogue_."

The other fourteen cats all seemed somewhat startled by that answer.

"D-destroy it, sir?" said Ralpharite.

Grumbuskin solemnly nodded, saying "I know Growltiger very well; he'd rather have his ship be destroyed than let it be captured by his enemies. I say that that is the least we could do to honor his memory."

More silence followed, but soon, everyone there admitted that there was indeed a great deal of logic to Grumbuskin's proposal. Their numbers were far too few for them to attempt to retake the ship. After all, they were just fifteen cats. Five of them were queens and one was disabled. And even if they went to Hampton Court to get the rest of the crew together, the Siamese would be long gone with the ship by the time they got back. So their only suitable option was to destroy the barge.

"If that is what you believe to be the right course of action, it shall be done, sir," said Ralpharite.

"Alright," said Grumbuskin, "Now, here's the plan…"


	35. Retribution

Note: Sorry if this chapter seems like filler; if I had kept it as long as I originally intended, it would have been incredibly overlong. But I can assure you that the next chapter will be much more engaging.

Back in London, Macavity, Mungojerrie, Cyclops, Sharpie, and Flash had witnessed the entire battle and Growltiger's execution take place. All of them seemed please – particularly Mungojerrie.

Once the cheering died down, Genghis went over to the camera and said into it "You should be proud of your agents, Macavity. They are very efficient at their work."

"Are they now?" Macavity said indifferently through gritted teeth. Mungojerrie and the others could easily tell that he was still somewhat tense.

"I'll send Mouveilyr to meet with you in exactly five days," Genghis informed him, "He'll discuss this new alliance between us. He'll also bring along those thirteen cats whose services I promised you."

"Excellent," commented Macavity. He moved his paw over to the console and stated "Contact us if any unforeseen complications pop up. Until next time."

Genghis saluted Macavity just before the Mystery Cat cut the transmission. He stood up and turned to his top agents. He smirked at them with a look of satisfaction across his countenance.

"It would appear as though I misjudged the situation," he remarked, "Growltiger and his crew were not as indomitable as I first believed them to be."

Right then, he tightened his facial expression and told them "But I do not want any of you doing anything like this behind my back again. If you do, I will have you demoted from the rank of 'top cat' to the rank of 'punching bag substitute.' Then, I will have you tortured, brutalized, and thrown out onto the streets with the **real **rejects of this city. You'd think that death would be a preferable alternative. Is that understood?'"

The four agents nodded vigorously. Mungojerrie seemed a little less bothered by this warning than the others, which Macavity quickly took notice of.

"For n'ow, let's jus' look on t'he br'ight si'de, Mac," Mungojerrie suggested, "We're abou' ta h'ave a new all'iance w'ith the **newest **main sailo' on t'he Th'ames, an' we did not 'ave to lose anyone in ou' own gr'oup to do it."

Macavity slowly nodded and narrowed his eyes. He commented "That's one thing about you that strikes me as peculiar, Mungo."

"H'ow do ya m'ean?" Mungo asked.

"You are perfectly willing to let other people die if it seeks to better our organization," Macavity clarified, "But only if someone else does the killing. I've noticed that the idea of killing someone by yourself unsettles you. In fact, I would even say that it disgusts you."

Mungojerrie shrugged and stated "Th'at is corr'ect, sih. I jus' cannot bring mahself ta kill someone. I don't kno' w'hy, though."

"Maybe you're getting soft," leered Cyclops.

Flash and Sharpie chuckled, but Mungojerrie turned around and struck him hard across the face. As Cyclops recoiled, Mungo shouted "Do'es TH'AT seem sof't to ya?"

Cyclops quickly shook his head and stood his ground. Sharpie and Flash stopped giggling.

"At any rate, Cyclops, Flash, and Sharpie here have all killed another cat at one point or another," Macavity stated, "But you have yet to kill something other than a fish, a bird, or a rodent."

"Wh'ateve' you s'ay, Mac," Mungo commented, lightly rolling his eyes.

Despite his position of power in Macavity's organization, Mungojerrie did not share a lot of traits with his Boss. He was quite different from the average henchcat, as well. While most of the henchcats in the organization found pleasure in delivering physical pain onto other cats, Mungo typically only used it to remind the other henchcats of his authority. He made sure to enforce discipline and order on anyone who behaved especially insubordinate, but other than that, he rarely used violence to solve anything else.

No one was quite sure why he functioned that way. Perhaps it was because of his upbringing. He had grown up as an orphan on the streets of London, stealing whatever he needed to survive. But every once in a while, he was forced to resort to violence. On most of those events, he was only using it in self-defense. One could argue that his "complicated" childhood had made him less capable of being provoked than Macavity's average goon.

Another deciding factor could have been his age. Despite being Macavity's second-in-command, Mungojerrie was among the youngest members of his collective. In fact, of the five cats in the communications array at that moment, Mungojerrie was the youngest of them. Macavity actually had a son in the Jellicle Tribe that was older than Mungo.

There was silence for a short time. Then Macavity asked the others "Just how exactly did you know how to contact the mole on that ship and extract all that information successfully?"

"S'imple," replied Mungojerrie, "We jus' h'ad to s'end out a sig'nal on a ce'rtain frequ'ency th'at only a membe' of th'is group could rec'ognize. Once t'he mole respon'ded, ev'rythin' w'ent smooth-sailin' from th'ere."

"Did the mole ever report if anyone was getting suspicious?" inquired Macavity.

"Well, once, he mentioned that a crewmember by the name of Farios had found him in a restricted place and was starting to suspect something was up," Cyclops responded, "But the mole took care of him at the Mariners' Gala. Spiked the poor bastard's beverage glass with two different types of drugs. The drugs temporarily corrupted his mind and induced him to assault a senior officer and attempt to rape his queenfriend."

"So he was thrown into the brig," Flash continued, "But the ship's Medical Officer and Science Officer soon discovered that Farios had been poisoned. They let him out and started an investigation, but it got nowhere. Not only did it throw Farios off the mole's trail, but the ensuing investigation provided Growltiger with a distraction. It gave the mole more time to look for data and transmit it to us."

"I see," stated Macavity, "What else did the mole do besides send you information about the ship?"

"He also sabotaged the engines yesterday so that the _Demagogue _would have to make a stop," answered Sharpie, "That's why the ship stopped in East Molesey; the mole planned for that to happen. Had they made it to West Molesey, they would have been safe from the Siamese fleet."

There was more silence for a while. Then Mungojerrie said "Mac, we've b'een wonderin' th'is fo' a v'ery long time n'ow. Jus' w'ho ex'actly IS t'he mole?"

Sharpie, Flash, and Cyclops were also interested in this topic. They looked to Macavity, expecting an answer. But Macavity simply smirked, shook his head, and replied, "I can't tell you. Based on what you and Genghis told me, most of Growltiger's crew survived the massacre at East Molesey. The mole could still be a valuable asset to me in the future, so I can't risk comprising… his cover."

Mungojerrie was the only one who noticed that Macavity was about to say something else before those last two words. But he thought nothing of it.

"I gu'ess we sh'ould jus' w'ait until G'enghis sends ove' th'ose sold'ers," stated Mungo.

Macavity slowly nodded and told them "You are dismissed. Get some rest now. You'll need it, 'cause tomorrow I want you to prepare some of the raw recruits for their training."

"Training?" said Cyclops, "Why do you need us preparing the newbies?"

Macavity smirked and answered "I can't ignore what you have done completely; I have to use **some **form of disciplinary action to remind you of your place."

The four agents groaned. They **hated **teaching the new trainees their trade. To them, it was about as easy and exciting as teaching a blind person how to climb a skyscraper. But they did not dare question their Boss's orders.

Macavity turned to Mungojerrie and ordered him "Stop by the infirmary before you turn in for the night. I want you to be in ideal fighting shape for tomorrow, and unfortunately, that lesson of 'discipline' I inflicted on you earlier would be an obstacle."

Mungojerrie agreed. His beating did not bother him that much; he was actually almost too proud of himself to notice the pain. He, Cyclops, Sharpie, and Flash turned around and left the room. This left Macavity all alone. He looked back at the screens and sat down again. He rested his feet on a counter and whistled. He was waiting for someone else to contact him that night. Someone that no one else in the group knew of.

Back in Easy Molesey, Grumbuskin was preparing to initiate his plan. First, he had Ralpharite climb to higher ground so that he could see everything on the bridge of the _Demagogue_ and around it. Ralph returned a few minutes later and reported that there were six sampans left around the ship, which meant that a little more than fifty-five of the Siamese had remained behind on the barge. Most of them were still on the bridge, meaning that the rest had to be in the lower decks.

Ralph also reported that the remaining survivors had been moved down to the brig. There were only four of them left; two of them were Najalim and Quaftil. A moment earlier, there had been five, but one of them had resisted the Siamese guards violently, and Genghis gave the order to have him killed. Now there were only four prisoners left. However, Genghis fully intended to have them all executed in time.

Once Ralpharite returned and informed Grumbuskin about all of this information, the black and grey tom had everybody gather around and he explained the rest of his plan: "We'll take the lifeboat and enter in through the bay. These toms will be accompanying me for certain: Ralpharite, Farios, Dominev, Placondgo, and Tumblebrutus."

The five of them agreed, but Tumblebrutus noticed that Jemima seemed a little nervous. Of course, he could not blame her. After all, he was about to go on board a ship full of dangerous Siamese soldiers.

But all the same, Tumble was determined to help in any way he could.

Victor spoke up "Sir, what about me? I'm sure I can-"

"Absolutely not, Victor," Grumbuskin sternly replied, "Until someone fixes up your leg, you're not going into any hostile situation."

That was not enough for Victor to give up. He stated "Sir, you're still going to need someone to pilot the lifeboat. Can you think of anyone here more qualified than I?"

Grumbuskin paused and thought about that statement for a moment. Finally, he said "Alright, Victor. You can come with us on the lifeboat. But you'll stay with the ship while it's docked in the bay. That's the most I'm willing to put you through at the moment."

Victor sighed and reluctantly agreed. "Very well, sir."

Scurtena stepped up and asked "What about us?"

"Yes, we want to help," Bellazni told Grumbuskin.

Grumbs firmly shook his head "no." He told them "You are not going anywhere near that ship. This is toms' work."

Griddlebone seemed somewhat offended by that statement. She said "Are you implying that my daughters are weak or simpleminded, Grumbuskin?"

"Of course not," he replied, "It's not just them. It's just that I can trust the toms to get this job done. I am not being sexist; I am speaking solely from experience. You and the rest of the queens will be much better off if you stay here."

"Well, I guess I'll come along, too," Dawlimer offered.

Grumbuskin promptly turned him down, too. "Neither you nor your sisters will get involved in this. If you do and it results in your deaths, this whole operation will have been for nothing."

Dawlimer reluctantly agreed to this. He asked "What **can **we do, then?"

Grumbuskin stood thinking for a moment, and then he replied "How about you take the sampan and try to retrieve your father's body? I'd like to give him a proper memorial service."

Dawlimer and the others accepted this request.

Grumbuskin turned to the last two toms: Coricopat and Roshedam. He asked the latter of them "Are you trained in combat?"

"I still have a lot of it left from my own days as a sailor," stated Roshedam, "Of course, I was very young back then, and I was not in the fleet for that long. But I think it's enough to be of some use."

"Alright, you're in," Grumbuskin told him. He looked at Coricopat next and asked him "What about you? Do you have combat training?"

"I do, in fact," Coricopat responded, "But, sir, I have never killed another cat before."

Grumbuskin shrugged and said "Good enough. You're in."

Placondgo and Dominev gave Coricopat and Roshedam a sword each. Coricopat turned to look at his twin sister, as if to ask her opinion on the matter. Without so much as a word spoken between the two, Tantomile simply nodded in approval.

Grumbuskin said to her and Griddlebone "I want you two to manage those of the group that stay here. The others and I should be back before long."

The two queens agreed. However, their group was only composed of Jemima, Dawlimer, Scurtena, and Bellazni.

Grumbuskin turned to the eight toms and told them "Gentlemen, get in the lifeboat. I'll explain the plan on the way to the bay."

One by one, they all piled in. But before he got in, Tumblebrutus went over to Jemima and told her "If it makes you feel better, I promise you I won't do anything really stupid. I'll come back alive, and we'll be together."

She smiled at him and said "Thanks, Tumble. That actually makes me feel a little better."

He smiled back and kissed her. Then he got into the lifeboat with the other eight toms. Victor went inside the small room and sat down at the control panel. There, he activated the engines and quietly piloted the small ship over to the lifeboat bay.

As he did this, Grumbuskin started to explain his plan to the other toms: "Once we're all inside, we'll split off into pairs. Placondgo, Dominev, you'll go to the engine room and prepare to execute the self-destruct program. But do not initiate the program until you get the order from me."

The Tactical Officer and the Strategic Operations Officer nodded, making notes in their head.

Grumbuskin continued: "Roshedam, Coricopat, I'll need you to scout ahead progressively through the ship and search for any other survivors, as well as any Siamese standing guard. Once you confirm that the coast is clear, we shall advance.

"Ralpharite, Farios, you'll make your way to the brig and get the others out," the black and grey tom went on, "Once you manage that, send Quaftil and Najalim down to the lifeboat bay. We'll need them to help Victor before he loses too much blood. Whoever the other two prisoners are, send them up to Deck 2."

"Why Deck 2, sir?" inquired Ralpharite.

Grumbuskin did not answer straight away. He was obviously trying to choose his words carefully. Finally, he replied "Because once everything else has been taken care of, we'll be going up to the bridge."

"Why, sir?" asked Tumblebrutus.

"For two reasons," replied Grumbuskin, "One, the self-destruct program can only be set off in the engine room, but first it has to be accessed from the navigations room. Only a senior officer can access it. That's where you come in, Tumble. The others and I will create a diversion to give you a clear run to the navigations room."

"It will be done, sir," Tumblebrutus assured the grey and black tom, "But what is the other reason for going up to the bridge?"

Grumbuskin's countenance quickly tightened up and he responded "I want Genghis to be killed by one of us directly. There is a chance that some of the Siamese may survive the explosion, as only the engines will detonate, but it will be enough to cause the rest of the ship to sink. But regardless of that, I want to make sure that Genghis does not survive this night. I would prefer to kill him myself, but if any one of you manages to do it instead, that will be fine with me."

After taking in their assigned roles, Grumbuskin got some human walkie-talkies out of one of the lifeboats.

"The Captain and I planned to save these for a long-range mission," he told the others as he passed the devices around, "But given the circumstances, they'll be of most use to us right now. We'll need to keep in constant contact with each other if this operation is to be a success."

No one spoke for a few moments, and finally Grumbuskin said "I wish all of you the best of luck. You'll need it."


	36. True Commitment

Before long, the nine toms arrived in the lifeboat bay, which was still wide open. Victor remained in his seat, holding a blade in his only front paw.

The eight toms broke off into their four pairs. Placondgo and Dominev advanced first while the others remained in the lifeboat bay. They waited for the two of them to secure the deck before they advanced further into the ship.

Soon enough, Placondgo and Dominev arrived in the engine room. There, they found that the engines had been sabotaged. They also found George and Carbucketty's corpses there.

Placondgo held his walkie-talkie up to his mouth and said quietly into it "Placondgo to Grumbuskin. Come in, sir."

Grumbuskin spoke into his walkie-talkie "What is it?"

"Sir, Dominev and I just arrived in the engine room," reported the Tactical Officer, "I have some terrible news. Carbucketty and George are dead."

Grumbuskin almost dropped his walkie-talkie, he was so shocked. Earlier, he was certain that at least one of those two toms would have survived the battle. But instead, they were both found dead in the deck of the ship they typically worked on.

"How can they be dead?" Grumbuskin asked aloud, but to no one in particular.

"I can answer that, sir," Farios replied, "They were killed shortly before the battle was even started. There was also more damage done to the engines than before. Growltiger sent me down to the lower decks to look for any Siamese boarders. Sure enough, I found two of them trying to attack Griddlebone. But I killed both of them before they could do her any harm."

"Well, I'm glad to hear that," stated Grumbuskin.

"But sir, there's more bad news," Victor called out from the lifeboat, "Bill Bailey's dead, too. He died in my arms during the battle."

Grumbuskin was now even more shocked than before. He was almost certain that Bill Bailey would have survived the attack, but to discover that he, Carbucketty, and George were all dead… that was almost unbelievable to him. But he was determined not to let the Siamese get away with this crime.

There was a little silence for a moment. Then Grumbuskin signaled to everyone else to move forward. He spoke into his walkie-talkie to Placondgo and Dominev "Keep an eye on the engine room. Make sure no one gets in there. We'll contact you when the self-destruct device is ready."

A few decks above, Ralpharite and Farios came to the brig. There was only one guard; they easily overpowered him and slit his throat before he even noticed they were there. Then they broke the lock to the door using a spear. They released Quaftil, Najalim, and the other two crewmembers. Ralpharite informed the Science Officer and Medical Officer of Grumbuskin's orders, and the two of them made their way down to the lifeboat bay to help Victor.

After being filled in on the plan, the other two crewmembers went with Ralpharite and Farios. They met up with Coricopat and Roshedam a few minutes later, after the latter two had finished searching the lower decks of the ship for other survivors or Siamese guards. They found none of either.

In actuality, Unbedim and his group were still in the lower decks. But Grumbuskin and the others had managed to miss them because the Siamese searchers were busy raiding the cargo bay for anything of value. This was what they liked to refer to as "standard procedure" when they seized control of a ship.

Meanwhile, on Deck 2, Corciopat, Roshedam, Farios, Ralpharite, and the other two crewmembers had met up with Grumbuskin and Tumblebrutus. The eight of them started making their way up the stairwell. Ralpharite peaked over the last step and looked out into the bridge. Then he ducked down and whispered to Grumbuskin "There's only a little over two dozen Siamese up there, sir. If we all move in on opposite directions and Tumblebrutus runs fast enough, he should make it safely to the navigations room."

"Okay, did you get that, Tumble?" asked Grumbuskin.

"Yes, sir," nodded Tumble, "I'll let you know as soon as I've accessed the self-destruct sequence."

"Alright then," Grumbuskin muttered under his breath. He and the others all got into position. They each focused on a different part of the bridge. After about thirty seconds of mentally preparing themselves, Grumbuskin gave them the signal.

All of them except Tumblebrutus charged onto the bridge. Grumbuskin, Ralpharite, Farios, and the two unidentified crewmen all gave out battle cries as they advanced.

The Siamese boarder that was unfortunate enough to be standing closest to the stairwell had his neck sliced open when Grumbuskin took him by surprise.

At that moment, Genghis had been overseeing the transfer of the camera and its equipment onto one of the sampans in the water below. He turned around and saw the seven toms spreading out along the deck.

"Eliminate them!" he shouted to his soldiers.

Tumblebrutus watched as a series of skirmishes began all over the bridge. He knew that he needed to wait until all the Siamese were too preoccupied to notice him, but soon it became obvious that that would take too long.

Tumble jumped onto the bridge and ran as fast as he could to the navigations room.

On his way there, another of the Siamese toms was killed. But shortly after that, one of the two identified crewmen of the _Demagogue _was also killed.

That was when Tumblebrutus was spotted by another of the Siamese warriors. That tom focused his attention on Tumble and chased after him to the navigations room. Tumble noticed this and swiftly locked the door behind him when he ran inside. But the Siamese warrior did not give up yet; he tried to break the door open using his weapons.

Working quickly, Tumblebrutus made his way over to one of the stations and used it to access the self-destruct program. After giving the computer his voiceprint and passcode, he transferred control of the self-destruct sequence to the engine room.

His job done, Tumblebrutus picked up his walkie-talkie to notify Grumbuskin of his success. But that was when his Siamese pursuer managed to break the door down. Tumble promptly turned his attention back to the opposite end of the room. He watched as the Siamese warrior approached him slowly with a look of malice in his eyes.

Tumblebrutus nervously backed into the wall, holding his blade in both hands. The Siamese tom had an almost psychotic look in his eyes, as if he had an insatiable desire to kill. But just before he could move in, he was impaled from behind by a figure with a javelin.

This took both Tumble and the Siamese tom by surprise. After a moment, the latter dropped dead. Right then, Tumblebrutus could see who had killed the Siamese attacker.

It was Farios! The black and brown striped tom withdrew his javelin out of the Siamese corpse and looked over at Tumblebrutus, smirking cockily.

Tumblebrutus was speechless. He found himself in a most awkward position. Just around an hour earlier, he had only known Farios as the tom that tried to rape Jemima. Less than an hour earlier, he felt that he had simply misjudged him for his actions. Now, he saw him as a lifesaver.

"Thank… thanks for that," he told the black and brown striped tom.

Farios continued smirking and remarked slyly "Don't mention it; I didn't like him anyway."

Tumble scoffed and said "Right."

Farios looked at the computer panel to his left and noticed that the self-destruct sequence had been activated. He turned to Tumblebrutus and told him "We'd better let Grumbuskin know about this."

Tumblebrutus nodded and held his walkie-talkie up to his lips. He said into it "Tumblebrutus to Grumbuskin. Sir, we've successfully activated the self-destruct sequence."

Grumbuskin soon responded. His voice sounded somewhat full of energy and vigor. In the background, Tumblebrutus could hear the sounds of a deadly scuffle. Grumbuskin said "Good work, Tumblebrutus. I want you to contact Dominev and Placondgo and have them set the auto-destruct timer to five minutes. Then tell them to wait for my orders to initiate the program."

"Yes, sir," said Tumble. The brown and white patched tom did this exactly. Using his walkie-talkie, he contacted Dominev and Placondgo and repeated those commands. Once the Strategic Operations Officer and the Tactical Officer informed him that the timer had been set properly, Tumblebrutus notified Grumbuskin.

"Alright then," Grumbuskin replied, "Now, I need you to round up everybody else out here and get down to the lifeboat bay."

"What about you, sir?" inquired Tumble.

"I still have to deal with Genghis," replied the black and grey striped tom, "Don't worry about me. I can handle it."

"Alright," Tumble responded. He looked up at Farios and told him "Let's get the others and get ready to depart."

Farios nodded and turned to the door; Tumblebrutus stood at his side. But right then, another Siamese warrior appeared at the door armed with a multitude of knives. One of them he held as if he was going to throw it. Without warning, Farios pushed Tumblebrutus away from the door and shouted "Look out!"

Tumble rebounded on the ground as the Siamese soldier flung a knife towards Farios. It struck him directly in the top of his chest. Farios gasped in pain and shock and collapsed onto his back.

"Farios!" shouted Tumble in concern. He was about to go to the black and brown tom's aid with the Siamese warrior drew another knife from his belt and took aim. Tumblebrutus ducked behind a computer console as the knife struck a part of the wall.

The Siamese soldier took out another knife and slowly approached the computer console, saying menacingly "Come on out… you can't hide from me."

Tumblebrutus then noticed that they was a drinking glass lying at his hind feet. It was the same glass Victor had been drinking from earlier. Looking at it gave Tumble an idea. He picked up the glass and quickly rolled out into the open. The Siamese tom flung his third knife at him, but missed. Tumble stopped on his knees and chucked the glass towards the Siamese soldier. It struck him directly in the face, shattering into dozens of shards. The Siamese tom shrieked in pain and dropped to the ground, covering his bleeding face with his front paws.

Tumblebrutus ran over to the Siamese soldier and kicked him in the head to make sure he would stay down. Then he went to Farios' aid. The brown and black striped tom was losing a lot of blood, but he was still alive. Tumble slowly and carefully extracted the knife from his chest cavity.

"Hang in there, Farios," Tumblebrutus told his friend as he gave him a helping hand, "We'll get you some help. Najalim and Quaftil should be able to help you."

All Farios could do was smile sadly at Tumble; at that moment, he did not even have the strength to talk.

Tumblebrutus walked out of the navigations room and looked around the bridge. A lot of small fights were still happening all over the deck. Coricopat was fighting off three Siamese toms with a single blade. For some reason, the three of them seemed somewhat timid to approach him.

Eventually, he managed to push them back. Once that happened, Tumblebrutus called out "Cori, I need your help here!"

The black, white, and orange psychic tom turned around and ran over to the white and brown tom. He asked him "What do you need, Tumble?"

Tumblebrutus gestured to the tom he was giving a helping hand to and replied "Farios is badly wounded. I need you to get him down to the lifeboat bay while I gather everybody else up together."

"Alright, I will," Coricopat agreed. He was about to take over giving Farios a helping hand when he noticed something coming up from behind Tumblebrutus. "Get down!"

Tumblebrutus quickly lowered himself to the ground while Coricopat glared hostilely at something behind him and Farios. Tumble looked over his shoulder and saw the Siamese tom he had just fought emerge from the navigations room. The tom's face was bleeding in several places, and it was contorted into an expression of rage. He had drawn another knife from his belt and had it aimed directly at Tumble.

Coricopat stepped forward and grabbed the Siamese tom by his throat. The Siamese tom dropped his blade and tried to free himself from Coricopat's grasp. The psychic tom simply brought the tom closer and glared him directly in the eye. Then, something happened that words could not explain.

Coricopat's green eyes stared into the Siamese's tom's bright blue orbs for over a minute. Neither of them blinked once in that interval. Coricopat's facial expression remained incredulous in all that time, but for some reason, a visible look of fear started to spread on the Siamese's tom's face.

He tried to look away from Coricopat's eyes, but he found he had no control over them. Something unnatural was forcing his eyes to remain focused on the psychic tom. Every second that passed by, the Siamese cat felt like he was going to lose his breath or that his heart would stop beating. Before long, all he wanted was for Coricopat to stop. For the first time in that tom's life, he knew what fear actually meant.

After over a minute of that mysterious connection, Coricopat dropped the tom onto the ground. The soldier was too terrified to attack Coricopat, so he darted away from him as quickly as possible.

Tumblebrutus was flabbergasted; he had no idea what had just happened. He looked up at his psychic friend and asked him "Cori… what… what did you just do?"

"The Mystical Divinity can give us the power to harness fear itself," Coricopat explained, "That tom will never again endure a more traumatic experience than what I just did to him."

Tumblebrutus scoffed and remarked "Remind me never to get on your bad side."

Coricopat lightheartedly nodded and picked Farios up off the ground. As he escorted the black and brown striped tom towards the stairwell, Cori said to Tumblebrutus "I'll see you in the lifeboat bay. But please; do not take too long."

Tumblebrutus nodded and saluted him. Once Coricopat and Farios were down the stairwell, Tumble scurried around the deck to inform Ralpharite and Roshedam about Grumbuskin's latest orders. Once those two toms were off the bridge, that left only Tumblebrutus, Grumbuskin, and the other unidentified crewmember.

Before long, the unidentified crewmember was killed by Nihaar. Tumblebrutus remained at the entrance to the stairwell to survey all the action undetected.

Grumbuskin was fighting with three Siamese soldiers. Even with their combined force, they were no match for him. The first was stabbed through the heart, the second had her throat cut open, and the third had his neck broken.

At that moment, Grumbuskin and Genghis happened to notice each other from across the deck. They focused their attention almost exclusively on each other. Slowly, they approached each other until they were standing about ten feet apart.

Several of the Siamese were about to move in on Grumbuskin, but Genghis held his paw up in the air and told them "Stay back. He's mine."

Genghis drew his sword from his belt and held the hilt tightly in both his front paws. Grumbuskin held his sword at the same level and eyed his opponent closely.

"You just had to come back, didn't you?" commented Genghis dryly, "Haven't enough people died tonight?"

"Oh, no," Grumbuskin slyly replied, "By no means have enough died tonight. At least one more must die. Preferably you…"

As Grumbuskin's countenance tensed up, Genghis stated "Originally, I was going to have you and the other survivors spared. But now, you will die. It is time for you to realize who the **real **'Terror of the Thames' is."

Grumbuskin smirked and remarked "Indeed I shall."

Then he charged forward with his blade raised in the air. Genghis jumped forward and their blades clashed. The two of them fought using only their swords. Every now and then, they both tried to exploit one of their opponent's weaknesses, but failed. All around them, the Siamese cats cheered for their Captain.

Tumblebrutus was the only one on the bridge that was holding out hope that Grumbuskin would emerge victorious. But he could not even cheer for him, as doing so would reveal his position to the other Siamese. He just frequently thought things like _Come on, Grumbs. You can do it. You can teach this maggot a lesson or two._

The duel went on for over five minutes. Both of the toms had acquired a few cuts and bruises, but no significant damage had been dealt to either of them.

Finally, during the sixth minute of fighting, Genghis kicked Grumbuskin in the side with his left hind foot. Then he struck him on the thigh with his sword. Grumbuskin stumbled and dropped to his knees, continuing to fight Genghis. But then Genghis struck him on the shoulder and soon knocked his sword out of his paws.

Grumbuskin collapsed onto the ground. He quickly made a move to reach for his sword, but Genghis kicked it away. Then he kicked Grumbuskin in the head, making him temporarily lose his focus.

As Grumbuskin lay on the ground lightly moaning, Genghis smirked down at him and lined up the final blow.

Tumblebrutus was shocked at that sight. Grumbuskin – Growltiger's best friend and the _Demagogue_'s longtime First Officer – was about to die at the paws of Genghis. Tumble could not bring himself to just let that happen. He had to intervene.

After all, the first night Tumblebrutus had gone to Westminster, Grumbuskin had caused him to fall into the Thames. But it was thanks to Grumbuskin that he did not drown. Grumbuskin had saved his life once; now Tumble felt it was time to return the favor.

First, Tumble took all his fear and put it to the side. Then, he drew his sword and started running towards the center of the bridge.

Genghis raised his sword in the air, preparing to deliver the killing blow. At that very moment, Tumblebrutus pushed through the surrounding Siamese bystanders and lunged forward. Just as Genghis' sword came down, Tumblebrutus held his sword directly above Grumbuskin and blocked the Siamese Captain's blade. Tumble found that Genghis' blows packed a great deal of force, but he gave enough resistance to save Grumbuskin.

After ten seconds, Genghis slowly turned his head towards the white and brown tom. Tumblebrutus glared back at him, showing his teeth.

Genghis soon started chuckling and took one step back. He looked down at Grumbuskin and said "This is who you have to come to your aid, Grumbuskin? A kitten?"

The surrounding Siamese soldiers burst out laughing at their Captain's statement. Tumblebrutus paid no heed to them; his focus was solely on protecting Grumbuskin and stopping Genghis. He sharply remarked "You will find I am a little different from the average kitten."

Genghis held his sword in the air and said "We'll just see about that."

Tumblebrutus held his sword in the air and prepared himself for what was sure to be the fight of his life. He had heard from many sources that Genghis' skills with a blade were legendary. Grumbuskin and a few other members of the crew had given Tumble some lessons in melee combat and swordsmanship during the war. He had mastered the basics and the advanced moves in under a week. This was partly because he had a lot of free time during the day to practice at the junkyard. Whenever he was not spending time with Jemima or his friends, he was practicing fighting with a blade or another sharp object. By the time he had gotten to studying the most expert moves in swordsmanship, the war had ended, and Grumbuskin had decided that his lessons could be put off. However, Tumble still practiced his training every once in a while during the day when he was alone. He even developed a few moves of his own.

Now, all those hours of training were about to pay off…

Tumble held his sword in one paw and held out his other one to Genghis. He gestured to him to come forward to make the first move.

Genghis smirked, raised his sword in the air, and ran forward.

As he swung the blade, Tumblebrutus jumped out of the way and somersaulted on the ground, holding his sword in his left paw. When he got back to his hind feet, he kicked Genghis behind the right knee.

Genghis almost tripped over himself, but remained on his feet. He waved his sword wildly at Tumblebrutus. But Tumble managed to parry, counter, and dodge his blows at every turn.

Tumblebrutus soon realized that while Genghis was definitely the superior swordsman, the Siamese tom was nowhere near as agile or quick as the young white and brown tom was. Both had their own strengths and weaknesses.

Before long, Mouveilyr was about to draw his blade and step forward to assist his Captain. But Nihaar held him back and told him "No, let's let the Captain handle this on his own. I'm pretty sure he can handle one mere kitten."

Mouveilyr agreed and the two of them had everyone else stand back to give Genghis and Tumblebrutus some room to fight.

Over the course of five minutes, both of the toms got a few scratches on their bodies, but neither of them had suffered any major damage.

Genghis found Tumblebrutus' persistence to be rather annoying after a while. At one point, he tried utilizing his famous "Screwdriver" tactic. This was when he took his sword in both handles and twirled it so fast that it confused his opponents, giving him the opportunity to take them down. It had never failed him in the past.

However, Tumblebrutus was also well-educated in Siamese tactics, thanks to the training and knowledge he had gotten from Bill Bailey and Ralpharite.

When Genghis started twirling his sword with his front paws, Tumble tossed his sword in the air. Then he did a back handspring, grabbed his sword when it came back down, and lunged forward. He knocked Genghis' blade out of his paws, taking him completely by surprise.

Genghis quickly recovered his sword and watched Tumblebrutus closely. He was actually impressed by the young tom's skills. He asked him quietly "Who… who… who are you?"

Tumblebrutus was not expecting to hear that question from a Siamese sailor. But he knew exactly how to respond. He answered with a note of deepness in his voice: "They call me… 'The Boatswain.'"

A few of the Siamese standing along the sides scoffed, but Genghis was only interested in what Tumble had just done. He lowered his sword a little, put on a more genial countenance, and said "You know, perhaps we have gotten off on the wrong paw."

"That's what Growltiger said to me when he and I first met over a month ago," Tumblebrutus replied, keeping his sword in one paw and his attention focused on Genghis.

"I can see why he added you to his crew," Genghis went on, "You have a remarkable number of skills. Some of these skills would take grown toms months to learn. But you seem to be gifted with them."

"What's your point?" growled Tumble.

"You are young," Genghis responded, "Your entire future is on the line right now. While the rest of the crew on this ship has no alternative other than fight, flee, or die, I'll give you another option."

"What?" Tumblebrutus spat.

Genghis smirked and told him "Turn away from Growltiger's crew. Join the Siamese instead. Your skills could serve us better than them."

Tumblebrutus was astounded by those words. He said quietly "You are offering **me **an opportunity to join your crew?"

"Yes, I am," Genghis nodded, "It is rare that we come across cats as skilled as you at this age. Those types of cats make some of the finest soldiers."

Tumblebrutus did not know how to respond. He knew for sure that he was not going make a decision to please Genghis, if anything. Obviously, this meant that accepting his offer was absolutely out of the question. Not that he would have accepted it anyway. But then he got an idea. He looked up at Genghis and stated "If you're offering me a position on your ship while you were ready to kill Grumbuskin, then that can only mean one thing: you're too damn scared to see the end of this duel!"

Genghis was shocked by that remark. His genial expression tensed up and he said "You have the gall to call me a coward?"

Tumblebrutus nodded and went on with a very dark tone in his voice "You'd have good reason to be, as well. I have never killed one of your soldiers, but I've helped this crew kill scores of them. For example, you know the hundred-plus units you had stationed at Chelsea? It was thanks to me that the outpost was destroyed in the first place. Oh, what a night that was. I particularly enjoyed myself when the building was set on fire. You know, their screams filled the area around me. And I actually took **pleasure **in their torture. The damn bastards deserved to die…"

With every sentence Tumblebrutus said, Genghis found himself becoming progressively angrier. Tumble could determine this by the change of expression on the Siamese Captain's face. This pleased him, as it signified that his plan was working.

The strategy he was using had been taught to him by Grumbuskin and Ralpharite. During a face-off in a duel, he would say remorseless things to provoke his opponent to attack. That sort of motivation destroyed the opponent's focus and tactical approach and instead made him attack like an unskilled brute.

Tumble went on: "I could actually smell them burning. It was a very unpleasant combination of methane, fumes, and cooking flesh. But I was so enticed by it that I cheered as I watched them die. And you want to know what I did next? I LAUGHED. That's right; I laughed. They never even saw it coming. Those of them that were not lucky enough to die instantly in the explosion were forced to endure what they deserved: a long, agonizing death."

Genghis snapped right then. He gripped his sword in both hands and snarled "And that is precisely how you shall go!"

Genghis ran forward and slashed at Tumblebrutus many times like a lunatic. He was not even focusing on strategy. He was just determined to put him in as much pain as possible.

Tumblebrutus just agilely maneuvered himself away from the Siamese Captain's sword. At the same time, he noticed a few weaknesses in his moves.

After about a minute, Tumble took his sword and slashed it at the back of Genghis' right hind foot. Genghis tripped to the ground, but quickly rose back to his feet. He noticed at a spear was lying on the ground from one of the three cats that Grumbuskin had killed more than ten minutes earlier. He picked up the spear and threatened Tumble with it.

Tumble still managed to dodge everything Genghis could throw at him. After another few moments, he slashed his hip, causing the Siamese tom to bleed slightly.

Another minute of intense fighting went by, and then Tumblebrutus grazed the side of Genghis' chest with his sword.

Before long, Genghis suffered a multitude of injuries while Tumble still had only a few mere scratches. Tumble knew at that moment that it was time for the fight to come to an end.

He brought one of his hind feet behind Genghis' hind feet and brought it forward, tripping him. Genghis landed flat on his back. Before he could get up, Tumble struck him on his left shoulder, wounding the joint. As a result, Genghis was temporarily unable to control his left arm. Subsequently, his left paw let go of his sword.

His right front paw had also let go of his spear. He reached out for it, but Tumblebrutus slammed his left hind foot on top of the Siamese's Captain's wrist, immobilizing his arm.

Tumblebrutus put away his sword and picked up the spear. Then he glared down at the Siamese Captain.

At that moment, Tumble experienced a type of self-conflict. He had Genghis – his Captain's most hated rival and executioner – at his mercy, but all his life, he had disliked the concept of killing anything on his own. Of course, killing some prey in a hunting trip like a bird, mouse, or rat was one thing, but to kill another cat was another thing entirely to him.

However, at that instant, the memories of everything Genghis had caused came to him. These included the murder of Baltrow, the destruction of the ships at Wandsworth, the massacre of the _Demagogue_, and – of course – Growltiger's execution.

At that moment, Tumblebrutus put aside his moral dilemma. For the first time in his life, the idea of killing another cat did not disgust him.

Without any further hesitation, Tumblebrutus looked down at Genghis and raised the spear high over his head.

But just before he could plunge it into the Siamese tom's body, he was struck from behind. Nihaar had come to his Captain's aid. He had snuck up on Tumblebrutus and whacked him as hard as he could on the back of his head with the hilt of his sword. Tumblebrutus dropped the spear and collapsed onto the ground. He was rendered unconscious almost immediately.

Nihaar looked over at some of his colleagues and ordered them "Get the Captain down to the medical frigate."

Mouveilyr and three others nodded. They came forward and each lifted Genghis up by one of his legs. While they carried him away, Nihaar turned his attention back to Tumblebrutus' unconscious form.

He took his sword and raised it high over his head. He commented "You should have accepted his offer, kid. Now you'll learn what happens to people that reject my Captain's courtesy."

A moment later, a flash of silver ran through the air – and Nihaar's head rolled across the deck. Soon, the rest of his body collapsed as well.

Grumbuskin had finally recovered from his minor injuries. He had decapitated Nihaar before he could do Tumblebrutus any harm.

Moving as quickly as possible, Grumbuskin returned his sword to its sheath, shouldered the spear, picked up Tumblebrutus, and carried him to the stairwell. Some of the other Siamese soldiers pursued him, but when he got to the stairwell, Grumbukin shut the door and wedged it close with the spear.

Then he started making his way down to the bottom deck. While moving through Deck 2, he contacted Placondgo and Dominev and gave them one order: "Begin the countdown."


	37. Death Or Destruction

During that fight, Jemima, Tantomile, Dawlimer, Scurtena, Bellazni, and Griddlebone had been along the starboard side of the _Demagogue _in the sampan Victor had hijacked. They had been searching the waters for Growltiger's body.

While all cats innately possessed good night vision, Jemima had the sharpest eye of the group. So she was standing at the front of the ship to get the best view. She stood at the bow, looking all over the surface of the water.

At one point, she told the others "I think I see something."

"Where?" asked Griddlebone.

"Fifty degrees to port," Jemima responded.

Tumblebrutus had taught her some "sailor talk" a few weeks earlier. She decided to try it out, even though it was not exactly the most ideal time.

Scurtena and Bellazni steered the ship closer to the object Jemima had spotted. When they got close enough, they realized that it was a cat's body lying face down in the water. Dawlimer and Griddlebone leaned over the side, grabbed ahold of the body, and pulled it aboard.

They turned the body around and discovered it was Growltiger.

Griddlebone looked down at her mate's face. His eye patch had remained over his right eye socket, and his left eye was staring straight ahead.

Griddlebone started welling up. A few tears fell from her eyes and landed on Growltiger's face. Scurtena and Bellazni also began weeping. Dawlimer tried his best to comfort his sisters, but he himself was very sad, too.

"This is our fault," he whispered, "We did this."

"What?" said Griddlebone.

"He's right," agreed Bellazni, "Father came all the way out here to find us, and his search for us resulted in his death."

"We should never have run away in the first place," stated Scurtena, "He would still be alive now if we had just stayed home."

"No, that is not true," Griddlebone sternly remarked, "I do agree that you should never have run away, but your father's death was not your fault."

"Yes it was, Mother!" Dawlimer insisted, "There is no point in denying a fact."

Griddlebone did not know what to say. She did understand her children's position, but she did not want them to feel guilty for what had happened to their father.

Tantomile went over to Growltiger's body and kneeled down in front of his body. She placed her left front paw on his chest and let it rest there for a moment. Then she leaned forward in front of his face, stretched his eyelid slightly, and gazed into his eye.

Griddlebone and her children watched the psychic queen apprehensively. They did not know what to make of her actions. Griddlebone looked over at Jemima and asked her "What is she doing?"

"I'm not sure," Jemima responded. She asked her friend "Tanto, is everything okay?"

The black, white, and orange queen looked over at the ginger and black queen and replied "I believe so, Jemima. Just give me a moment."

Jemima and the others waited in silence as Tantomile continued examining Growltiger's body. About two minutes later, she looked up at the others with a satisfied grin on her face.

"Why are you smiling?" asked Griddlebone, sounding slightly offended by Tantomile's gesture, "Do you find something amusing here?"

Tantomile shook her head quickly and said "Oh, no, milady. Not at all. In fact, I have a feeling that it will not be long before you and your children are smiling, too."

That answer really caught Griddlebone's attention, as well as the attention of her children.

"What do you mean?" asked the Persian queen.

"I'll explain shortly," Tantomile assured her, "I'll need to speak with my brother first, though. I'd suggest that for now we just focus on returning to the shoreline."

Griddlebone and her children agreed not to ask questions at that time. They quietly sailed the boat back to the shore.

At that same time on the other side of the ship, Mouveilyr had managed to get Genghis down to another of the abandoned sampans. The three Siamese soldiers that had assisted him were in the process of sailing the small boat back to the armada. Mouveilyr had his Captain rest on a bench. He told him "I think you fought quite marvelously, Captain."

"Oh, shut up," snarled the Siamese commander, "Mouveilyr, I almost lost a duel to a KITTEN! You call that 'fighting marvelously?'"

"Well, not quite," Mouveilyr agreed, "But you certainly fought the good fight Grumbuskin."

Genghis slowly nodded in agreement, but abruptly changed the subject. He asked Mouveilyr "What became of him and that kitten anyway? The others got me off the ship before I could see what happened. But I recall that you were on the bridge for a little while longer."

The black tom looked away, uncertain how to answer. After a moment of contemplating his words, he said "Nihaar was about to finish off that kitten, but Grumbuskin intervened. He killed Nihaar and got off the bridge with the kitten."

"Nihaar is dead?" Genghis slowly uttered.

"Unfortunately, yes," Mouveilyr confirmed, "A few of our units tried to pursue Grumbuskin, but he sealed off the only passage to the lower decks."

Genghis sat for a moment, thinking. A moment later, he stated "They must be trying to escape through the lifeboat bay."

"A plausible theory, sir," commented Mouveilyr.

Genghis looked up at the black tom and ordered him "Contact Unbedim. Tell him to have his squad disperse across the barge's bottom deck. I want them to find Grumbuskin and kill him before he can get away."

Mouveilyr nodded and went over to a console on the sampan. He relayed Genghis' last order to Unbedim. The grey Siamese tom quickly acknowledged these orders and his units began to spread around the bottom deck of the _Demagogue_.

Around that time, Grumbuskin had just arrived on that same deck. He was carrying Tumblebrutus over his shoulders and moving as quickly as possible. As he made his way to the lifeboat bay, he looked out for any signs of more Siamese intruders.

Grumbuskin soon arrived in the lifeboat bay and made his way over to the lifeboat the other toms were waiting in. Everyone except Placondgo and Dominev was accounted for.

Ralpharite and Roshedam had been standing guard. They breathed a sigh of relief when they saw the grey and black striped tom enter the room. But then they noticed that Tumblebrutus was slumped over Grumbuskin's shoulders.

"What happened?" Ralpharite asked in concern.

"Tumblebrutus was knocked out," Grumbuskin answered him, "I think he'll be alright, though."

As he got closer to the lifeboat, he saw that Najalim and Quaftil were changing the bandages on Victor's left arm. Grumbuskin could tell that the Navigator was in a lot of pain, but he could not think of anything he could say or do to make him feel better at that time.

Coricopat came up to the black and grey tabby and told him "Sir, I'm afraid I have some bad news regarding Farios."

"Farios?" said Grumbuskin, "I thought I saw him get wounded during the brawl on the bridge. Was he wounded?"

Coricopat nodded his head solemnly.

"Alright, then," said Grumbuskin, "What of him?"

"He's dead," Coricopat retorted sullenly, "He was stabbed directly in the chest by a dagger. That weapon managed to puncture one of his lungs. I brought him down here to get help, but he lost too much blood to even keep his other lung functional."

Grumbuskin was stunned. "Are you certain?"

Coricopat gestured to his side. Grumbuskin looked down and saw Farios lying on the floor of the ship. His fur was soaked in his own blood, and he was not moving a single muscle.

Just by looking at him, Grumbuskin could tell Farios was dead. He looked up at Coricopat and told him "I must still thank you for bringing him down here."

Coricopat lightly smiled for a minute. However, after that, he noticed that Tumblebrutus was being carried by the black and grey tom. Tumble was unconscious, and he had a large bloodstain on the back of his head.

"Is he alright?" Coricopat asked, pointing out Tumblebrutus.

"I believe so," replied Grumbuskin as he gently laid Tumblebrutus on the floor, "I'll have Najalim and Quaftil look at his injury as soon as they're finished with Victor."

"Very well," said Coricopat.

Grumbuskin took out his walkie-talkie and said into it "Grumbuskin to engine room."

"Dominev here, sir," was the response on the other end.

"How much time until the engines detonate?" Grumbuskin asked.

"A little over two minutes," reported Dominev.

"Alright then," said Grumbuskin, "I want you and Placondgo to get back to the lifeboat bay immediately."

"Yes, sir," Dominev replied, "We're on our way!"

Back in the engine room, Placondgo and Dominev armed themselves and left the engine room. They were about halfway to the lifeboat bay when they heard footsteps approaching in the opposite direction.

The two of them stopped to listen to those footsteps. After a moment, they nervously looked at each other.

"I'll bet you know as well as I do what type of footfalls those are," Placondgo remarked.

"You are correct," Dominev stated, "I'd recognize those footfalls anywhere; they're Siamese."

The two of them hid in the shadows in a perpendicular corridor and waited. Before long, several Siamese cats ran past them. They ran directly to the engine room.

Placondgo and Dominev remained hiding in the shadows. A few seconds later, they heard one of the Siamese say "Sir, take a look at this."

Dominev and Placondgo had a very bad idea what that Siamese was referring to. A moment later, their suspicions were confirmed when they heard Unbedim declare "It's the ship's self-destruct sequence! Shut it off at once!"

"Yes, sir!" replied another party.

Dominev and Placondgo started sweating anxiously. They now had one of two options: they could return to the lifeboat bay and escape with their lives, but leave the _Demagogue _in the hands (or paws) of their greatest enemies, or they could risk dying either in a fight or in an explosion, but keep the _Demagogue _permanently out of reach from the Siamese.

Dominev looked at Placondgo and asked him "How much time?"

Placondgo looked at his handheld timer, which was connected to the self-destruct sequence, and responded "A minute and twenty-five seconds."

Dominev sighed and turned to his front. "We have to stop them from deactivating the self-destruct sequence."

"That's cutting it a little close," Placondgo pointed out, "I don't even think we'd make it out alive."

Dominev patted him on the back and told him "Look at it this way: We'll be taking a few more of the Siamese with us."

Placondgo shrugged and commented "I guess so. We have to move fast though."

"Alright, just let me notify the others first," said Dominev. He picked up his walkie-talkie and said into it "Grumbuskin, are you there?"

"Yes, what is it?" answered the black and grey tabby.

"Sir, I have bad news: The Siamese just showed up," replied Dominev, "They are compromising the entire operation."

"What do you mean by 'compromising?'" asked Grumbuskin.

"There're in the engine room at the moment," Dominev replied, "They've discovered the self-destruct sequence, and we are certain that there're going to try to shut it down. Placondgo and I are going to stop them."

"Alright, we'll wait for you as long as we can," said Grumbuskin.

"Sir, the engines are supposed to explode in approximately one minute," Dominev enlightened the grey and black tom, "You don't have time to wait on us. Just get out of here while you still can."

"But-" Grumbuskin began.

"Sir, if you and the others stay here, you'll all die, too," Placondgo spoke into his own walkie-talkie to back up his friend, "Then this whole operation will have been in vain."

"That is my point exactly," Dominev stated into his walkie-talkie, "Sir, it's better to have a handful of survivors than no survivors at all."

Grumbuskin knew he did not have time to argue. Every second he spent arguing with the two toms, the engines were a little closer to detonating.

"Very well, gentlemen," he reluctantly agreed, "I wish you good luck."

Grumbuskin put his walkie-talkie aside and ordered Victor to pilot the lifeboat out of the _Demagogue_'s bay. The Navigator complied.

"What about Placondgo and Dominev?" asked Ralpharite.

"They're not coming," Grumbuskin replied sadly.

No one needed any further clarification at that point. Those three words told them enough.

As the lifeboat sailed away, Grumbuskin looked back at the _Demagogue_. He slowly brought his right front paw up to his forehead to make a salute.

At that same time, in the _Demagogue_'s engine room, one of the Siamese soldiers was working on a panel in front of the self-destruct timer.

"I think I almost got it!" he announced.

"Hurry!" Unbedim urged him, "We only have forty-five seconds left!"

The Siamese soldier continued working. Just before he could accomplish his work, Placondgo and Dominev arrived at the entrance to the room, heavily armed. Placondgo took one of his knives and flung it across the room. It struck the working Siamese soldier directly in the neck. He shrieked and collapsed.

The other eleven Siamese cats turned to the door. Unbedim pointed towards the _Demagogue_'s Strategic Operations Officer and Tactical Officer and shouted "Obliterate them!"

The soldiers moved in on Placondgo and Dominev. They felt confident that it would be an easy victory, as they outnumbered their opponents ten to two.

They were deeply wrong. Dominev and Placondgo were two of the best fighters in Growltiger's crew.

One of the Siamese waved his blade at Dominev. The Strategic Operations Officer rolled on the ground and slashed the Siamese warrior in the back.

Another Siamese soldier tried several times to stab Placondgo. The Tactical Officer simply dodged the blows and stabbed his attacker in the chest.

As the remaining eight soldiers fought Dominev and Placondgo, Unbedim turned his attention to the panel in front of the self-destruct timer. He continued entering the proper sequences to shut off the device. He had less than thirty seconds, and he could feel the room getting slightly hotter. Obviously, the engines were very close to overloading.

A few seconds later, Placondgo killed another of the Siamese soldiers, but then he was stabbed by a toasting fork just below the throat. He shouted in anguish and dropped to the ground. Not long after that, he died.

Dominev was left fighting on his own. Fortunately, only four of the Siamese soldiers were still alive. He took one of his daggers and stabbed one of them in the forehead. He then took his sword and slashed another of them across the chest.

One of the other two Siamese toms was directly behind him. He took his spear and stabbed Dominev directly in the back. He missed his heart by inches. Dominev gave a shout of agony and stumbled on the ground. He managed to ignore the pain for a moment, turned acround, and brought his sword down into his attacker's head, almost splitting it open.

The last Siamese soldier kicked Dominev in the side and forced him onto the ground. The Siamese warrior stabbed him just below the shoulder with his carving knife. Dominev was immersed in pain from two different mortal injuries. But he was still not ready to give in to his wounds. He grabbed the last Siamese soldier by his neck and pulled him closer. Dominev then grabbed a small blade out of his belt, held it up to the Siamese warrior's face, and scalped him.

All the members of Unbedim's squad were dead at that point, but Dominev was too late. Unbedim had successfully deactivated the self-destruct sequence when it had only five seconds left to go. Immediately after deactivating the device, Unbedim took his spear and used it to destroy the panel. As a result, the self-destruct sequence could no longer be activated, as the panel controlling it had been disabled.

Unbedim turned to Dominev and smirked in satisfaction. "Your efforts were in vain. Did you actually think you could deprive us of our prize?"

Dominev was sitting on his knees, holding his bleeding side. He glared at Unbedim angrily. For a moment, he felt as if he had failed Grumbuskin. But then he got an idea. The ship did not actually have to be destroyed to prevent the Siamese from using it; he just needed to damage the engines enough to render them useless.

He had a miniature grenade in his belt that he had been saving. That presented an ideal solution.

He looked back up at Unbedim and smirked wickedly. The grey Siamese tom was standing in front of the main engine's central plexus. Dominev quickly got an idea to disable the engines and take Unbedim down with his simultaneously.

The grey Siamese tom noticed Dominev's smirk. He took out his blade, raised in the air, and told him "I would not be smiling now if I was you. It is unwise to smile in the face of death."

Dominev just smirked more widely than before. Then, with incredible speed, he pulled a small blade out of his belt and tossed it at Unbedim. It hit Unbedim in the arm he had raised and pinned his wrist to the engine's silicon outline.

Dominev rose to his hind feet and smirked as the grey tom tried to pull the knife out of his wrist, but it was wedged tightly.

When Dominev got close enough, he took out another of his knives and used it to pin Unbedim's other wrist into the protective seal.

Unbedim now had no control over either of his front paws. As he struggled to free himself, Dominev picked up his walkie-talkie and contacted Grumbuskin. He told him "Sir, we managed to eliminate the Siamese units, but Placondgo's dead and Unbedim managed to severely damage the panel that controls the self-destruct sequence. Now the self-destruct device cannot even be activated manually."

"Shit," commented the black and grey tom.

"However, I have a solution," Dominev went on, "I'm going to use my special grenade to destroy the engines. The ship will not sink, but the Siamese will be unable to move it."

"Alright, we'll come back for you," Grumbuskin told him.

"No, sir, you should not bother," stated Dominev, "I'm already mortally wounded. But I plan to take Unbedim down with me."

"Alright, good luck," said Grumbuskin.

Dominev put his walkie-talkie down and turned back to Unbedim. Then he pulled his grenade out of his belt and removed the safety clip.

"What are you doing?" Unbedim asked quietly.

Dominev just smirked again and struck Unbedim in his chest. When Unbedim opened his mouth to yell in pain, Dominev shoved the grenade into his mouth.

Unbedim tried to spit the grenade out, but Dominev clamped both of his front paws over the grey Siamese tom's lips. No matter how hard he tried, the grenade was stuck in his mouth.

A few seconds later, Dominev whispered "Fuck you, you Siamese scum."

Then the grenade detonated. The explosion was so powerful that it blew Unbedim's head apart, killed Dominev, and virtually wrecked the engines' central plexus.

Outside, the toms in the lifeboat could not see the explosion, but they could definitely hear it.

Grumbuskin bowed his head in silence to show his respect for a moment. He muttered under his breath "The Siamese may have possession of the _Demagogue _tonight, but it will not be theirs for long."

A few minutes later, the toms in the lifeboat rendezvoused with Griddlebone, her children, Jemima, and Tantomile. They had managed to move Growltiger's body onto the docks. Tantomile was standing at the Bravo Cat's side.

When the toms arrived at the docks, they hastily disembarked. When Jemima saw Grumbuskin carrying Tumblebrutus, she immediately ran over to the grey and black tom.

"What happened?" she asked.

Grumbuskin could tell that she was somewhat horrified. He assured her "Tumblebrutus is alright. He was just knocked out."

Coricopat carried Farios' body up to the docks. Even though Farios was dead, Coricopat was gentle with his body. After laying him out on the ground, he looked over at his sister.

Tantomile noticed this and gestured for her brother to approach her. This Coricopat did. The two of them looked down at Growltiger and studied his body closely.

No one asked them any questions; they felt that the psychic twins were on to something.

After about a minute of silent inspection, Tantomile stated "It appears as though we were successful."

"What do you mean?" asked Griddlebone, "Successful with what?"

Coricopat turned to her and replied ambiguously "We just proved that a soul actually can survive without a body."


	38. Protected

Everyone stared blankly at the twins. A deep silence filled the area for what seemed like an age.

Grumbuskin finally broke the silence by saying very quietly "What do you mean?"

Coricopat and Tantomile anticipated that the others would not understand them, and they were prepared to answer him. However, they felt it a little unsafe to explain the whole thing while the Siamese were still very close by.

"We'll tell you everything as soon as we put enough distance between ourselves and the Siamese," Coricopat assured everyone, "For now, we must seek shelter."

"Where?" enquired Victor, holding his bandaged left front leg in his right front paw, "Where can we go?"

There was a long silence before Roshedam offered "We could go back to my place. The Siamese don't know of it, and it's the only place in this whole town where I feel completely safe."

The others agreed with his suggestion. Grumbuskin told them "First, there is something I must do."

At that, he turned to Farios' body, picked it up, and approached the sampan that Griddlebone and her group had used to recover Growltiger's body. Then he jumped down into it and gently laid Farios' body on the ground. Grumbuskin took the brown and black tom's two front legs and folded them over his chest. He removed Farios' sword from its sheath and laid it on his chest, right underneath his folded front legs. Then he got back onto the platform with the other members of the group.

Once he was back on the platform, Grumbuskin turned to the sampan and bowed his head in respect. Everyone else did this as well, including Jemima.

Grumbuskin muttered under his breath "This brave sailor is just one of the few that died defending his crew tonight. May the River Thames receive his body into its grasp and honor his memory and his contributions for all-time."

"Aye," stated Victor, Ralpharite, Najalim, and Quaftil.

After a brief moment of silence, Grumbuskin looked up and stepped forward towards the sampan. He gestured for the other sailors to join him. They did, and with their combined force, they pushed the sampan in the direction opposite the _Demagogue_.

The sampan sailed away, carrying Farios' peaceful body down the river with it.

Grumbuskin turned back to his acquaintances and told them "Now we may leave."

The group of cats started walking back towards Hampton via way of West Molesey. Working together, Quaftil and Najalim carried Growltiger's body with them. Grumbuskin carried Tumblebrutus in his arms. Jemima stayed close to him for the entire walk.

When they came to the trolley, Ralpharite, Roshedam, Dawlimer, Scurtena, Bellazni, Coricopat, and Tantomile handled transporting it manually.

As they walked, Victor told Grumbuskin, "Sir, if it makes you feel better, most of the crew is still alive. They're attending a celebration at Hampton Court which will last about another three hours."

"That is good news," said Grumbuskin, "We'll need to make arrangements to rendezvous with them before they leave."

"Hampton Court is not far from here," stated Ralpharite, "We could rush by there and pick them up."

"No, for now, we need to concentrate on getting Tumblebrutus and the Captain to safety," Grumbuskin stated, "Then we can arrange to meet up with the others and decide where to go from there."

Not another word was spoken until the group arrived at Roshedam's place. Once they got there, they hid the trolley again and one-by-one, they made their way onto the fire escape platform. Victor could not grab onto the ladder with only one paw, so a few extra measures needed to be taken for him to get to the base of the platform. When Ralpharite got onto the platform, he took a rope from his equipment pack and let a great length of it down the ledge. When enough of it reached the ground, Najalim and Quaftil took it and tied it around Victor's waist and shoulders as a harness. With the combined effort of Roshedam, Coricopat, and Tantomile, Ralpharite managed to pull Victor up to the platform. He used the same process to bring up Tumblebrutus and Growltiger.

Once all fifteen cats were on the fire escape platform, they made their way into Roshedam's apartment on the third floor.

Once they were there, they got settled in the living room. Jemima took a washcloth, soaked it in cold water, and used it to clean the wound on Tumblebrutus' head. A few others, like Griddlebone, offered to help her, but she politely declined. At that moment, she only wanted to tend to Tumble by herself.

She thought about how peaceful he looked, even though he had a large bloodstain on the top of his head where Nihaar had struck him. After cleaning off much of the dried blood, she leaned down and kissed his cheek delicately.

After Growltiger's body had been dried, it was placed on a few fresh sheets in the middle of the room. Then everyone turned their attention towards Coricopat and Tantomile.

The twins quickly began explaining what they had said at the docks.

"As you know, both of us are psychic," Tantomile began, "We have the ability to sense the emotions of others and such."

"However, being psychic is not our only otherworldly feature," Coricopat went on, "We are also mystics. We can commit acts that defy the laws of nature."

"Such as?" Griddlebone beckoned them to continue.

"We have the ability to see living beings past their corporeal form," Tantomile stated, "We can actually see the very energy of the soul itself as it emanates off a body. But only when the body is alive."

"Right now, we can see that the energy of Growltiger's soul is still lingering around the body," Coricopat continued for her, "For the moment, the energy is intact. This means that Growltiger's soul is undamaged."

"For the moment, his body and soul are separated from each other," said Tantomile, "But before long, the two of them will meld back together."

The others were intrigued by what they had just been told. Several of them – most notably Griddlebone and her children – seemed joyful to know that Growltiger had a chance to live. But most of them were still confused.

"How is that possible?" inquired Ralpharite, "Growltiger was lying face down in the water for more than twenty minutes. No one could have lived through that."

"We had something to do with that, as well," Coricopat answered, "Another of our supernatural gifts is the ability to seek out a soul and separate it from its host body."

"This is arguably the hardest and most complicated trick that any mystic can perform," Tantomile explained, "It can only be performed every once in a while. And it can only be performed on someone who is in mortal peril."

"What does it involve?" asked Victor.

"First, my sister and I must seek out one mind in particular and focus all our concentration on it," Coricopat explicated, "Once we have accomplished this, we must imagine that the soul separates itself from the body. Then, we must **believe **that it has done so. Then the soul separates and creates a type of natural shield around the body to keep it safe from any harm."

"When your Captain was forced to walk the plank, my brother and I knew that we could not just let him die," Tantomile continued, "So we did this exactly to your Captain. That is why he went from violently struggling in the water to becoming completely listless so abruptly."

Again, everyone needed a moment to absorb all this information. Finally, Dawlimer looked down at his father's body and asked "If you could see his soul's energy this whole time, then we didn't you tell us this beforehand?"

"Because the protective shield that energy creates renders the soul invisible, unless the body is viewed up-close," responded Coricopat, "By that, I mean very close. That's why we needed physical contact with the body."

"Have you ever done this before?" queried Bellazni.

"Yes, five times," said Coricopat, "All of those individuals were complete strangers to us at the time, and we encountered them just by travelling together in the city. All of they were in mortal peril when we met them. One of them had been attacked and severely beaten by a group of Pollicle dogs, barely escaping with her life. Another was in danger of burning to death in a fire. Another had been injected with a slow-working poison by his sadistic animal-abusing owner. Another was suffering from a terminal illness. The last one had been trapped in a room with a limited oxygen supply."

"Even though they were complete strangers, we felt obligated to help them," Tantomile remarked.

"What happened to them?" inquired Scurtena.

"Three of them died within twenty-four hours," Tantomile promptly responded. Upon seeing the horrified countenances of a few of their acquaintances, she quickly added "But the other two survived, and their souls managed to remerge with their bodies overtime. You need not worry; Growltiger will live."

"How can you be sure?" enquired Quaftil.

"Which ones were the ones that survived?" questioned Najalim.

"Both those questions have the same answer," Coricopat replied, "The ones that died shortly after we performed the mystical act on them were the one that had been brutalized by dogs, the one that had been injected with poison, and the terminally-ill tom. We noticed that they all had a similar feature – they were dying beforehand because of a direct problem with their bodies. You see, the charm does not protect the body from internal threats or fatal damages already done to it. In fact, it actually quickens the damages' effects. That's why it took less than a day for those three to die."

"However, the other two lived." Tantomile took over in the explanation, "The tom that had been in a fire lost both of his owners to the arsonist that had started it, but he himself had miraculously survived without a single burn mark on his body. You see, the fire was an external threat. It could not harm that tom because it was not a part of his body. The same thing goes for the queen that had been locked in a room that had no ventilation system at all by her abusive former mate. She had been screaming and begging for someone to help her, and luckily, we just happened to arrive outside that building. We tried to open up some of the windows or break them open, but that did not work. Finally, we decided that performing the charm was the only way to save her. Even after the room ran out of oxygen, her soul remained behind. That gave us time to find a heavy object, break open a window, and get her out of there."

"In both those cases, the individual was being threatened by an external hazard," Coricopat continued, "And both those times, the shield created by their soul's energy protected them from any further harm. In that same way, the energy shield of Growltiger's soul protected him from a death by drowning. The water was literally repelled by the shield. And that is precisely why Growltiger will live."

Everyone was amazed by everything they had just heard. It seemed completely unbelievable, yet strangely enough it all made sense at the same time.

"You said something about the soul and the body remerging together," commented Victor.

"Yes, we did," nodded Coricopat.

"How will that happen?" asked the cream and brown tom.

"It's a long process," explained Tantomile, "The soul's energy will gradual fuse itself back into the host's body, and unfortunately, there's nothing we can do to speed up the reintegration process. The body will just be in a very unusual type of coma as that happens."

"So, how long are we talking about here?" asked Griddlebone hastily.

The twins shrugged simultaneously. Coricopat stated "Alas, we have no clue."

Tantomile added "We took the other two to our home to keep their bodies safe until they recovered completely. The other two took months until they regained consciousness."

"Months?" Griddlebone breathed quietly.

"I'm afraid so, milady," Coricopat confirmed, "However, just because it took the other two such a long time to recover, it does not necessarily mean that Growltiger will be comatose for that long as well."

"But we still do not know how long it could take," Tantomile emphasized, "His body and soul just might remerge sooner than that."


	39. The Tension Escalates

Across town, the few Siamese soldiers that had remained on board the _Demagogue _had just returned to their barracks at Thames Ditton. The highest-ranking officer in that group had verbal provided his leader with a full report of all the casualties and losses they had taken.

Genghis had been in the medical ward with Mouveilyr when the report was presented to him. He was being treated for the injuries he had received during his duel with Tumblebrutus. The injuries were minor, but they were many in number. Every major region of his body had at least two bruises and a long, deep cut.

When the physicians were finished treating his injuries, the head doctor was pleased to tell the Siamese commander that no permanent damage was done and that his injuries would be fully healed within the next few days.

The officer from the group at the _Demagogue _was still presenting his report to Genghis. He had paused for a moment to let the doctor speak to Genghis.

Before he could continue with the report, Genghis asked him "When will you bring in the _Demagogue_? I plan to take it on a trip down the river sometime soon."

Mouveilyr and the officer looked at each other nervously, and Mouveilyr answered "Umm… well… sir…"

"Yes?" said Genghis, slightly annoyed.

The other officer finished: "Sir, two members of Growltiger's crew had remained behind in the engine room. They killed Unbedim and his entire squad. When we got down there, both of those crewmembers were dead, too, but we found that the engines were hopelessly wrecked. As of right now, that ship cannot even sail three feet."

Genghis paused for a moment, and took in this bit of news slowly, one bit at a time. He whispered quietly "Are you telling me… that Nihaar is dead, Unbedim is dead, and the _Demagogue _has been crippled?"

Mouveilyr and the other officer nodded solemnly.

Genghis' front paw started twitching. He slowly rose to his hind feet and announced "I want all non-military personnel out of this room at once!"

Because Genghis was the only patient in the infirmary at that time, the medical staff agreed. Soon, the room was empty, save for Genghis, Mouveilyr, and a few officers, including the one who had submitted the report of the second battle.

Genghis began yelling "This is outrageous! You were sixty cats on that vessel when I was still there! Yet your numbers managed to drop by at least fifteen, and the ship is now incapable of running!"

"Well, sir," stated a younger officer nervously, "We can still tow the _Demagogue _into the bay here at Thames Ditton. And the engines can be repaired."

"Just how long would that take?" snapped the Siamese leader.

The officer hesitated before replying "At least twelve weeks, sir."

Genghis almost struck the officer on his muzzle when he heard that answer. "Twelve weeks? TWELVE FUCKING WEEKS? You must be joking. Tell me you are joking, Lieutenant. I'm serious; tell me you're joking. That's an order!"

"Then I'm afraid I must disobey that order, sir," stated the younger officer, "This is no joke. The engines were practically blown apart. We need at least twelve weeks."

"He's right," another young officer concurred, "We're lucky that they actually can be repaired. If they were damaged any worse, then they would have to be completely replaced."

Genghis slowly decided that there was no alternative, and that his officers were correct. He told the younger officers "Assemble a team of our top engineers, technicians, and mechanics. I want them working around-the-clock to get those engines repaired. Have them pull double, or even triple shifts if you have to! Is that understood?"

"Yes, sir!" replied the younger officers. They left the room to carry out their orders.

Genghis sat back down on his bed while the remaining officers in the room waited for him to speak to them.

He said softly "I will not let the survivors of Growltiger's crew get away with this. They shall pay with their blood."

There came a moment of deadly silence. Then Genghis looked up and grinned wickedly. He turned to his officers and said to them "As you may recall, earlier tonight I told you that most of the _Demagogue_'s crew is attending a festival at Hampton Court."

"That is true, sir," nodded Mouveilyr, "You did tell us that just before we began the assault on the _Demagogue_."

"Indeed I did," stated Genghis. He rose to his feet and paced about the room. He told his officers "Originally, I intended to spare them so that they would tell many other cats about what we are capable of. That in turn would spread fear, which is a key component in spreading our domain. But I just thought of a much better and more effective way to spread even more fear."

He turned to Mouveilyr and gave him the following instructions: "I want you to assemble a task force composed of every archer we have. Take them to Hampton Court and have them spread around the perimeter of the front courtyard. Then, instruct them to release two waves of arrows into the courtyard."

Mouveilyr stared at his Captain with a mixture of surprise and shock. Genghis easily noticed this. He asked the black tom "Does something trouble you, Mouveilyr?"

The Siamese commander slowly looked up at his Captain and said "S-sir… you want us t-to fire two waves of arrows into the front courtyard of Hampton Court?"

Genghis nodded sternly and remarked "That is the general idea. I want you to do as much damage as possible to the crewmembers of the _Demagogue_ that are attending the celebration."

"B-b-but, sir!" stated Mouveilyr, "Growltiger's crewmembers are not the only ones at that festival! There are dozens of cat families there, too! We'd be slaughtering many innocent lives. Some of which could even be among our supporters."

Genghis understood the black tom's reasoning, but he put aside those words and said "That is precisely the message I want to get across. The people there will be witnesses to my prime declaration for the future: anyone who is even in the same place as a former member of the _Demagogue_'s crew will be putting their lives in danger! Believe me; that will destroy any lingering support for Growltiger!"

"But the other cats there have done no wrong to us, sir," Mouveilyr tried to emphasize to his commander, "Why do they have to die?"

Genghis' facial expression tightened up and he stared the black tom directly in the eye. He told him sternly "Mouveilyr, this is the way of the future. If we do not spread enough fear or demonstrate enough power, we will never be able to better our domain on this river!"

Genghis then brought himself closer to Mouveilyr's ear and whispered "Besides, you only had to lose one son to our war against Growltiger. Wouldn't you like the other two to remain alive, as well?"

Mouveilyr could tell that his Captain was deadly serious. He did not want to make his sons have to suffer simply because he spoke out against his commander.

"Y-yes, sir," Mouveilyr answered, finally giving in to Genghis' requests, "I shall assemble the archers immediately. I'll tell them that we're about to become 'party crashers.'"

Genghis smirked and patted him on the back. He became a little less rigid and said "I'm glad you see it my way now."

"Of course, sir," commented Mouveilyr, "After all, _Inter Arma Enim Silent Leges_."

"Indeed," Genghis nodded.

Mouveilyr and the others left the infirmary to begin rounding up all their archers. Genghis was left alone. He laid down on his bed and began studying his claws.

He muttered to himself under his breath "Tonight, a new wave of fear is born."

Back at Roshedam's flat, everyone was still gathered in the living room. They were developing theories as to how the Siamese could have taken over the _Demagogue _so easily.

At one point, Victor stated "I believe there was a spy on the ship."

At first, Grumbuskin only viewed that as just one more theory, but then he remembered what Najalim and Quaftil had told him about how Farios had been deliberately drugged. They had also told him about the engines' malfunctions.

Eventually, they had enough evidence to conclude that a spy had indeed been aboard the _Demagogue_.

"Do you have any ideas as to who it could have been?" Grumbuskin asked Quaftil, Najalim, and Victor.

"None, sir," Victor responded, "At first, I thought it could be someone on the senior staff. But our senior staff was composed of only seven members. Each of them has an alibi: Bill Bailey, George, and Carbucketty are all dead; you and Tumblebrutus were away from the ship at the time; Growltiger would not become a spy on his own ship, and – I'm afraid I can only speak for myself here – I know I'm not the spy."

"I feel confident that you're not the spy, Victor," Grumbuskin assured the cream and brown tom, "But it could still be any member of the crew. The perpetrator could have gone to attend the celebration at Hampton Court, for all we know. In fact, the spy could even be in this room right now!"

That last statement caused a little unrest in some of the members of the group. But that quickly went away when Coricopat informed Grumbuskin "I do not think so; my sister and I can sense no deception from anyone in this room."

"If the spy was indeed in this room, we would be able to detect many malevolent feelings emanating off of just one particular mind," remarked Tantomile, "We do sense some feelings of malevolence, but they are mostly just hatred and fury."

"Those emotions seem to be resonating off of everyone, so we can dismiss them simply as disdain for the Siamese," Coricopat stated.

"Alright, then," Grumbuskin commented, "In any case, I think it's time we go to Hampton Court and gather up the rest of the crew."

Soon, Grumbuskin was organizing a plan for the immediate future. All it concerned was meeting up with the members of the crew at Hampton Court. Once the remainder of the crew was together, he would devise a plan for the long-term future.

"Ralpharite, Najalim, Quaftil, Coricopat, Tantomile, and I will travel to Hampton Court," he announced to the others, "I do not look forward to telling them the bad news, but we have to get them to this neighborhood soon; East Molesey is no longer safe."

He turned to the yellow and brown tom and asked him "Roshedam, are there any other condemned buildings on this block?"

"Well, there are a few," Roshedam replied, "But I would definitely question the safety of some of them; while we are capable of living in buildings that humans consider hazardous, there are some that are not even suitable for us to reside in."

"Well, we'll need to know which ones are safe to live in and fast," Grumbuskin told the yellow and brown tom, "Until we have a plan in order, we'll have to stay in Hampton."

"Okay, I'll do it," Roshedam agreed, "I'll go out and search through the abandoned buildings."

Grumbuskin then gave out a few more commands, "Jemima, I want you to stay with Tumblebrutus. Griddlebone, look after your children. Victor, look after the Captain."

Everyone agreed to these orders, especially Jemima. She was not going to leave Tumblebrutus' side, no matter what happened.

A few minutes later, Grumbuskin and the five cats he had chosen to accompany him left Roshedam's apartment. They planned to stow away onto a human bus in order to get to Hampton Court faster.

Roshedam left soon after, as well. He began going around the block, looking through many abandoned buildings.

The only ones left in the apartment were Jemima, Tumblebrutus, Griddlebone, Victor, Growltiger, Bellazni, Scurtena, and Dawlimer. They just sat in the living room. All the lights were off, and there was a consistent silence filling the air.

After a while, Griddlebone stood up and started making her way down the hallway.

"Where are you going?" enquired Victor.

The white Persian queen turned to him and replied straight-out "I need some fresh air; I'm going to step outside for a little bit."

Victor sat up in his chair and sharply remarked "'Fresh air?' What; is the air in here not good enough for you or something?"

"No," Griddlebone replied, "I just want to step outside. I need some time to think."

"We're not stopping you from thinking!" Victor raised his voice, "And Grumbuskin ordered us to stay here!"

Griddlebone was starting to feel a little tense. She retorted "Grumbuskin is your commander, Victor, not mine. I do not feel the need to submit to his orders the way you do."

"It's thanks to him that some of us are still alive!" Victor yelled.

Griddlebone scoffed and said "That may be true, but why do you need to interpret his orders so loosely? I fail to see what harm just standing outside for a few minutes will do."

Victor was about to give an angry response, but then he remembered that Jemima and Griddlebone's children were right there in front of them. He did not want to make them feel uncomfortable, and starting an argument with Griddlebone would certainly do that. Besides, if his Captain were awake, he would not approve of such a childish thing.

Victor sighed, leaned back in his chair, and said "Go ahead and step outside to get your fresh air. But do not leave the block; I have enough problems to worry about."

Griddlebone nodded and went to the room that had the fire exit platform right outside of it. The other cats heard the window in that room slide open and close again a moment later.

Jemima was still at Tumblebrutus' side, but she was looking at Victor. She had a feeling that he must have had a lot on his mind at that moment. After all, he had lost his ship, many of his friends, and one of his paws all in one night. He had almost lost his Captain, too.

Jemima went over to the cream and brown tabby and asked politely "Is there anything I can do for you, Victor?"

He looked down at Jemima with a neutral facial expression and sat contemplating his answer.

Had anyone else asked him that question, he would have given them a snappy retort. But he could not bring himself to give Jemima such a response. He was not certain as to why that was the case; it just was. Maybe it was because she seemed too innocent for that sort of response.

He replied "No, Jemima, I'm alright. But thank you for the offer."

She nodded lightly and went back over to Tumblebrutus. Victor could in turn tell that she had a lot on her mind as well. She was so young, yet she had seen so much death on one night. Her tomfriend had almost died defending Grumbuskin, and no one could even ascertain when Tumble would regain consciousness.

He wanted to say something to set Jemima's mind at ease. So he told her "I'm sure that Tumblebrutus will recover from his concussion soon, Jemima. Believe me, he is one of the most resilient cats I have ever seen."

Jemima looked at Victor and smiled at him.

Meanwhile, Griddlebone was outside, walking down the street. She was looking all over the area for a house with an open window.

Finally, she spotted one. It was a second story window outside the fire exit of another building. What stood out to her was a giant red "X" painted directly above the window. Griddlebone ran over to that building, jumped onto the fire escape platform, climbed to the second floor, and entered the room.

In that room, there was a computer all set up with a bunch of sophisticated equipment, including a webcam and a microphone.

This particular building had been abandoned long ago, but the computer and the sophisticated equipment had been installed very recently.

Griddlebone went over to the computer, sat down in the chair in front of it, and started typing with the keyboard. The computer requested a bunch of different passcodes, and she happened to know all of them.

After about a minute, the computer screen was activated. Macavity appeared on the screen.

"Report," stated the ginger cat.

"The situation is totally under control," replied the white Persian queen, "But there is something you should know."

"What might that be?" he coaxed her.

She waited a moment before answering "Growltiger's… still alive."

Macavity jumped up in his seat when he heard that. He practically screamed at Griddlebone "Alive? How the fuck could he be alive? I saw him die on camera myself!"

"It's too complicated to explain at the moment," she replied simply, "All you should know is that he's alive. However, this will probably set your mind at ease: he's comatose."

Indeed, knowing that did seem to make Macavity calm down. He sat thinking for a moment, and then stated "As long as the Siamese do not know he is alive, our alliance with them will not be jeopardized. I need you to send me reports on Growltiger's physical condition at least weekly."

She smirked and told him "That will not be difficult; the others do not even know I'm working for you."

"Good," commented Macavity, "Let's keep it that way. I have no use for a spy whose cover has been blown."

"You'll find that I'm very good at acting and hiding my secrets," Griddlebone told the Napoleon of crime, "In fact, it's a damn good thing you gave me those lessons on how to shield my mind from clairvoyant individuals."

"Why is that?" enquired Macavity.

"There are two psychic cats in our group," Griddlebone explained, "They tried to sense deception from the rest of us, but I managed to hide my emotions from them."

"Excellent," said Macavity. "Neither Mungojerrie nor any of the others has any idea that you were my operative on that ship, either. In fact, they think you're male!"

Griddlebone scoffed and told them "I guess that their assumption is only natural, as I was the only female on board that ship."

"That is true," agreed Macavity. He paused for a moment, and then he said "Did you know that all this time, Mungojerrie and the others did not know that I was fully aware of what they were doing behind my back?"

She raised an eyebrow and said "Really?"

He shook his head and told her "Obviously, they are not as cognizant about my attention span as I believed them to be."

"But why didn't you work with them directly?" asked Griddlebone.

"Two reasons," Macavity replied, "One, I wanted to see how much they could accomplish on their own. And two, I felt it would be wise for me to discuss the reconnaissance with you alone."

"What did you do when you 'found out' about their work for real?" she asked in interest.

"I first took my anger out on Mungojerrie," Macavity replied, "Then I assigned them to training the rookies in the morning. I'm still surprised that **that **did not tip them off that I was secretly involved in their plans. I mean, I gave them a very lenient punishment. Had they worked behind my back for real, I would have had them tortured."

"I guess they were too preoccupied with their own affairs to notice," Griddlebone hypothesized.

"In that case, they are **definitely **not as mindful as I believed them to be," he stated.

"That is a good call," she agreed, "I'm just glad that your last transmission came through clearly. Otherwise, I would never have known to come to this building."

"You should give the credit to my operatives in Hampton," stated Macavity, "They're responsible for putting all that equipment up. In fact, you should know that I have similar terminals established all over the country."

Griddlebone smiled and said "I suppose that that **is **one of the conveniences available to someone of your trade."

"Indeed it is," he nodded.

There was a brief silence between the two, and then Macavity said "Keep me apprised of anything and everything that goes on down there. Even the slightest detail could be of great importance in the future."

"Yes, sir," Griddlebone agreed.

Macavity then closed down the communications line between the two of them, leaving Griddlebone alone once again. She said to herself "I believe I've gotten enough fresh air for the moment."


	40. Motivations

Note: Some of you may recall that back in Chapter 25, the last line of that chapter was "That was the last time two of [the reconnaissance party] saw London." Naturally, this would most likely imply that two of them were going to die soon. I'll bet that some of you were initially worried that those two would be Tumblebrutus and Jemima. However, you may also recall that Placondgo and Dominev were in that group as well, and they both died while fighting the Siamese on the _Demagogue_. So, just to let you know, THEY were the two I was referring to, not Jemima and Tumblebrutus. By the way, the first part of this chapter is somewhat told in flashback mode, much like Chapter 23.

Second Note: 99 reviews? That is f*cking awesome! I love you all so much!

Griddlebone smirked to herself as she logged off the computer and shut down the rest of the equipment. Once she was certain that all the equipment was powered down, she left the building via the window she had used to enter it.

She had come a long way ever since she had joined Macavity's organization.

One would wonder why she would aid Macavity and his henchcats in their conspiracy to help the Siamese kill Growltiger. The reasoning was simple: it was for her children.

Before her children were born, Griddlebone loved Growltiger. Her heart belonged to him and him alone. He was everything to her. He would always take the time to visit her at least once a week. No matter what came up, he would always find a way to make these rendezvouses on time.

This routine went on for several months unhindered. Then, things gradually started to change.

When Growltiger came home on the weekend of their anniversary as mates, Griddlebone wanted to have a romantic evening with him. And a romantic evening they had. They shared a meal fit for royalty, went stargazing, and they even went to see a play for old time's sake. But that was not the highlight of the evening. The highlight of the evening was what happened in their bedroom when they got home later that night.

On that night, the two of them shared an enthusiastic, adoring experience together. In their room, they felt as if nothing could ever separate them from each other. When they were together, nothing else existed except the two of them.

When the two of them reached the climax of their time together, that was the official moment when everything began changing; for that was the moment when they conceived.

When Growltiger returned to visit Griddlebone a week later as always, she told him that she was pregnant. Growltiger's reaction was a very ambiguous one. He was overjoyed and extremely worried at the same time. But all the same, he still visited his mate, and kept in contact with her.

Finally, nine weeks after their passion-filled evening, Griddlebone went into labor. Growltiger had come to visit her that night, and he had managed to hire two professional midwives to help his mate through the birthing process. However, the midwives would not let him stay in the bedroom to witness the birth; they told him that that was just the natural order of things. After waiting outside the room for an agonizing two-hour long wait, the midwives finally let him inside the bedroom. He saw that his mate had given birth to three white, gold, and red, half-Persian kittens. The eldest was male; the younger two were female.

The first thing Growltiger did was pick up their son and hold him in his arms. At the same time, his mate cradled their daughters.

"What are their names?" enquired one of the midwives.

Growltiger and Griddlebone had decided weeks in advance that he would name any toms in the litter while she would name any queens.

"I've decided to name our son 'Dawlimer,'" Growltiger announced, "He shall be the heir to my work."

"This queen is the elder one," stated Griddlebone, gesturing to the kitten in her left arm, "I've given her the name 'Scurtena.' The younger one shall be named 'Bellazni.'"

"Beautiful names," commented the other midwife.

As the weeks went by, Growltiger continued to visit his family. He watched his children grow. Griddlebone seemed to find comfort in her children's company during her mate's absence.

However, after seven months, Growltiger's side as a father started to clash with his side as a pirate Captain. He thought over his situation thoroughly, and he realized that his family could be a potential weakness. If his enemies were to learn that he had a mate and kittens, they could try to get to them to make the Bravo Cat suffer.

Growltiger had never told anyone about Griddlebone or his kittens. Not even Grumbuskin, whom he had entrusted with all of his other most personal secrets. But he was still worried that if he was not careful, someone would discover his family and try to do harm to them. So, he stopped visiting them as often. His visits rapidly decreased in frequency.

Eventually, it got to the point where he became so paranoid about his family's safety that he stopped visiting them altogether. He had Griddlebone make up excuses for his absence to present their children with. It pained both of them to lie to their children, but there was no other way; Growltiger did not want his children to know that their father was regarded by many as the most vicious cat to ever roam at large.

Griddlebone was very saddened that her mate stopped visiting her, but she still remained loyal to him. After a while, she began to realize that her children were more than an adequate substitute to fill the void that Growltiger's absence had created. In fact, she eventually discovered that they meant more to her than Growltiger.

Overtime, as her children grew up, they matured. They matured physically, emotionally, and – most notably – intellectually. They were soon able to determine for themselves that their father was not coming home, and that their mother was hiding something from them. They eventually caught on to what their father did on the Thames and – after a bitter argument with their mother – they decided to run away from home.

Many kittens – and young human children, for that matter – come up with the idea of running away from their parents, but very few of them actually go through with it. However, Dawlimer, Scurtena, and Bellazni were three of those few. They had so much anger towards their parents that in the quiet of the night, they packed up some supplies and slipped away without a second thought.

When Griddlebone discovered that they were gone, she went hysterical. She looked everywhere for them on her own, but could not find them. Eventually, she returned home and thought positively. She tried to convince herself that her children would return home in time. But when they did not, she spent hours sobbing. She did not eat, drink, or sleep for almost two days.

That was when she realized something extremely grave: this was Growltiger's fault. All of it. HE had stopped visited her and their kittens. HE had forced her to lie to them. It was HE that had incited them to run away.

When Griddlebone realized this, her feelings for Growltiger completely changed. She no longer loved him. She viewed him only as the tom that had taken her children away from her. He did not take them away directly or deliberately, but he had still taken them away nonetheless.

Griddlebone decided right then that she would create two main objectives for herself: bring her children home, and make Growltiger suffer for virtually abandoning them. She had connections all over the city from business deals her parents had conducted during her lifetime, but even with those connections, she still did not have the means to accomplish either of her goals. So she needed help.

She went around London, pleading several powerful cats for their assistance. Most of them either placed too high a price for their services or they were unwilling to help her. But she still managed to find someone willing to help her out.

This "someone" was the infamous crime lord Macavity. He was arguably the only cat in London that was anywhere nearly as powerful as Growltiger (with the exception of Genghis, of course). However, he was a father as well, and despite the fact that it had been many months since he had spoken with his children, he understood how Griddlebone was feeling.

So Griddlebone had contacted him, and he agreed to arrange a meeting with her. But it was a secret meeting on the roof of his warehouse, where none of his henchcats would be aware of his presence.

After Griddlebone explained the full details of her situation and plan, Macavity thought about her request very carefully. She told him that she would give him anything he wanted, such as money, power, resources, and connections.

But Macavity was not interested in any of those things. Griddlebone had something else that had attracted the Hidden Paw's attention: her physique. Macavity noticed that even though Griddlebone was older than he was, she had retained a rather sultry figure.

So Macavity made her this offer: if she slept with him every night for one week and if he subsequently found that he enjoyed himself all those nights, he would help Griddlebone achieve her two objectives. At that time, Griddlebone was willing to do anything to have her children returned to her, as well as teach Growltiger a lesson he would never forget. She did not see any moral dilemma in cheating on her mate at that time, so she accepted Macavity's offer.

She found that having sex with the Hidden Paw was much more pleasant than she had imagined it would be. Once those seven nights were over, Macavity agreed to help her. He gave her more connections to establish a network of cats around the city and beyond. She could use the network to locate her children.

Griddlebone contacted Growltiger and filled him in on how their children had run away. He was shocked to have learned this, and offered to return home to help her find them, but she told him that it would probably be better if she came aboard the _Demagogue_. Eventually, she got him to agree to her suggestion.

While working out the details to this arrangement, Growltiger had gotten some of his own contacts to join Griddlebone's contacts in the network she had established. He had done this in an effort to expand it, with hopes that their children would be found sooner.

Griddlebone had been staying at Macavity's warehouse, but he made sure that no one knew of her presence. So he had her stay in his quarters all day.

All she really needed was food, water, exercise, and sleep. Macavity's magical powers gave him the ability to conjure the first two for her out of thin air. She managed to get exercise all on her own. As for sleep, Macavity was totally willing to share his bed with her. That was something that they both enjoyed. Griddlebone continued to cheat on her mate, but did not feel any guilt about it whatsoever.

Before long, Macavity had decided to privately train Griddlebone in the ways of a criminal. He had long ago wanted to get a spy onto Growltiger's ship, and he figured that she would be a better choice than anyone. After all, who would ever suspect the Captain's mate of being a spy?

Macavity gave Griddlebone advanced training in a multitude of fields. He helped her become a superb fighter, a brilliant computer-hacker, an expert at dealing in espionage, and a professional at just about anything else you could think of. She actually had to act as if she was glad to see Growltiger and such while on the _Demagogue_. Fortunately, her interest in theatre helped her manage that.

Macavity got closer to Griddlebone than he did to any of his henchcats. She was both one of his secret agents and his lover. However, he did not let his feelings get in the way of their plans. Griddlebone actually reciprocated his feelings, but was unaware if they were mutual for him.

At first, Griddlebone was only focused on finding her children and making Growltiger suffer. However, the longer the Persian queen lived with the Hidden Paw, the more his persona copied itself onto hers. Griddlebone soon became as corrupt and power-hungry as Macavity himself.

When Macavity discovered this, he was very pleased. Pleased and aroused. He was not entirely certain why; he just found rebellious queens to be very sensual.

Soon after all the arrangements had been made, Griddlebone was informed that her children had been found. Macavity had decided that it was time for her to go aboard the _Demagogue_ and begin her work as his agent. This she did, and she notified Growltiger of this.

At one point in time, Macavity had told Mungojerrie about how he had a mole on board the barge, but never identified the mole directly. All he told Mungo was how to contact "him" (As you can imagine, Macavity had purposely misled Mungojerrie into believing that the mole was male).

Mungojerrie had eventually contacted Griddlebone and – with the help of Cyclops, Flash, and Sharpie – gathered enough information about the _Demagogue _to help the Siamese defeat Growltiger. Macavity pretended to be in the dark, while secretly involving himself in their spying operations without them noticing it. He had looked over his henchcats' reports and added to them before they transmitted them to Genghis. And they never figured this out.

At the same time, Griddlebone made plans to see her children again very soon.

Finally, it had gotten to the present. Griddlebone had managed to accomplish both of her objectives: she had been reunited with her children, and Growltiger had gone through the pain of losing more than a third of his crew to the Siamese. Now he would be in a coma for at least a few months.

Griddlebone knew full well that if Growltiger had died, she would have to look after their kittens by her own, but truth be told, that was just the way she wanted it to be.

The best part of all of this (Aside from finding her children after so long) was that no one even suspected her of being the mole. Her cover had not been compromised in any way.

She planned to keep it that way.

…

Meanwhile, across the city, Mouveilyr just had arrived at Hampton Court with his task force. He had seven dozen soldiers in his company – all of them archers. Mouveilyr himself was armed with a crossbow.

As they approached the Lion Gates, they could hear the loud music and the cheering of many cat families. There had to be well over two hundred cats at that celebration. But only fifty-nine of them were members of Growltiger's crew.

Mouveilyr stopped in front of the gates and paused for a moment to think. His commander had just given him a very difficult order. He had asked him to fire a multitude of arrows into a crowd of innocent people in an effort to kill just a select few of them. He knew that this was not a good thing to do. It was wrong on so many levels: ethically, morally, and honorably.

However, he also thought about his sons. His two eldest sons had survived the war with Growltiger, becoming war heroes in the process. But his youngest son Waelik had been the first casualty of war. Growltiger had executed him on board the _Demagogue_ by making him walk the plank.

Mouveilyr just could not endure the pain of losing his other two sons, but Genghis would certainly make that happen if Mouveilyr did not obey his commands.

"Sir, your orders?" queried one of the archers standing behind the black tom.

Mouveilyr snapped out of his reverie, having finally made his decision. He turned to his company and instructed them "Create a perimeter around the courtyard. Try to make it as expansive as possible."

The soldiers carried out this order. Once they were in their formation, Mouveilyr called out "Prepare the first volley!"

The archers almost mechanically reached back into their quivers, pulled out one arrow apiece, and notched them on their bowstrings.

Mouveilyr himself reached back into his own quiver, pulled out an arrow, and placed it on the firing mechanism of his crossbow. He pulled it back and once it was read to fire, he called out to his company "Get ready to fire!"

The archers raised their bows into the air and pulled back on the strings as far as they could. Mouveilyr pointed his crossbow up into the air and rested his paw on the trigger. He slowly raised his crossbow into the air.

Through the gates, he could see the people attending the celebration. Many of them were not even middle-aged. There were many kittens there as well. All of them were completely oblivious to the danger they were in.

Once again, Mouveilyr was inwardly arguing with himself. He knew that his soldiers would not fire until he gave the order, but that only made him feel worse. He would have the blood of many innocent people on his paws for the rest of his life. For a moment, he felt that he could not even live with that prospect, knowing how much pain he could cause.

But once more, the image of his two surviving sons came to his mind. Both of them had mates, and the elder of the two would soon be a father, as the elder of them had informed his father just a couple weeks earlier that he and his mate were expecting.

After thinking over the issue at hand one last time, Mouveilyr finally made his decision. He muttered under his breath "My grandchildren should not have to grow up without a father."

He looked back up and took aim with his crossbow again. He muttered to himself in a half-angry, half-saddened voice "Everlasting Cat forgive me."

Then he shouted at the top of his lungs "Release your arrows!"

In the span of four seconds, eighty-five arrows sailed into Hampton Court's front courtyard.


	41. Harshness Of Reality

Note: I'd like to thank everyone that's read this story so far. After this chapter, I plan for there to only be about five more chapters for this story.

Back in London, Macavity was resting in his quarters. He was sitting in a human-sized recliner with the leg rest set to its full extension. Even though the chair was much too big for him to place his hind legs on the leg rest, he was still able to enjoy the angle at which the chair was reclined.

He leaned back, a small smirk across his face. In one night, he had opened up a new alliance and helped to make an example of anyone who refused to be his ally. In return for the work he and his henchcats had done, Genghis had agreed to spread around word of the Hidden Paw's power around the river. It would not be long before people outside of London would be made more aware of Macavity's evil doings.

Genghis had also promised Macavity the fulltime services of a thirteen of his finest soldiers. The Mystery Cat was especially looking forward to seeing these soldiers himself. But first, a bunch of arrangements had to be made. He made a note to himself to contact Genghis and ask him for the talents and abilities each of those thirteen soldiers possessed. That way, he could decide beforehand what tasks they would be better suited to. Some could work as thieves, others as hunters, others as assassins. He was hopeful that each of them would bring something new to his organization.

Macavity got up from his chair and went to the door to his room. He opened it and came face-to-face with his bodyguard.

"You," he stated bluntly.

"Yes, sir!" responded the bodyguard, saluting his Boss.

"I want you to go down to the communications array," Macavity ordered him, "Tell whoever's there to contact Genghis and request to have some of his operatives meet with us here tomorrow night."

"With all due respect, sir, I thought Genghis and his crew would be busy at Hampton Court until next week," remarked the bodyguard.

"That is true," said Macavity, "But he did not amass his entire army there. He still has many operatives scattered around the river. Many of them are still in London."

"Alright, then," agreed the bodyguard, "But what should I say that the meeting is about, sir?"

Macavity thought a moment before answering "Just tell Genghis it has to do with the new units he's sending us."

The bodyguard nodded. Macavity waited for him to leave, but he just stood in front of the door.

"Are you waiting for something?" the Hidden Paw asked, slightly annoyed.

"Well, yes and no, sir," replied the bodyguard, "I do plan to carry out those orders, but first I want to wait for my relief to come. It shouldn't be long."

"Why?" Macavity asked angrily through gritted teeth "You think I can't look after myself for a few minutes? Is that what you're implying?"

The bodyguard quickly began to sweat and answered nervously "N-no, sir! Of course not! I… I… I'll get to it right away."

He quickly turned on his heel and scurried down the corridor. Macavity called out to him "Report back to me when you get his response!"

Macavity leaned up against the doorframe and waited for several minutes. A random tune passed through his mind and he whistled it to pass the time.

Finally, his bodyguard returned. The nervous henchcat notified his Boss "Genghis granted your request. However, he told us that within twelve hours, he'll be summoning most of his operatives in this city to Thames Ditton. So the latest we can have a meeting is around three o'clock in the morning. He wanted to know if this was acceptable."

"It is," Macavity stated, "When your relief comes, go back to the array and have the person on duty notify Genghis that we'll be waiting to receive his agents."

"Yes, sir," nodded the henchcat.

Macavity closed the door to his quarters and went back to his chair. He decided to get some rest before the meeting with Genghis' operatives. He closed his eyes, but did not really fall asleep. That was one interesting thing about Macavity: whenever he appeared to be half-asleep, he was in actuality wide awake.

At that same time, Grumbuskin, Ralpharite, Coricopat, Tantomile, Najalim, and Quaftil were still making their way to Hampton Court. The six of them had stowed away onto the back of a double decker bus to decrease their travel time.

Grumbuskin was sitting in absolute silence. He was going over the events of the last few days in his mind over and over again. So much had happened in so little time. He only hoped that everything would get better in time.

He could only wonder how the rest of the crew would take the news of the _Demagogue _being captured by the Siamese. There was also the matter of the losses the crew had already taken, as well as Growltiger's "death."

Unfortunately, the pain and suffering was far from over.

When they were just about a hundred meters away from Hampton Court, the bus made a turn down a different road. The six cats decided to jump off the next time it came to a stop. Once they were off, they started travelling the rest of the way on foot.

When they were just slightly over a hundred feet away from their destination, Coricopat and Tantomile stopped walking.

"Wait," they told the others.

The four sailors stopped in their tracks and turned to the twins.

"Is everything alright?" enquired Ralpharite.

The mystics did not answer straight away. They appeared to be in a trance.

After about thirty seconds, Coricopat stated "We sense… a strong buildup of emotions. Emotions like… agony, terror, sorrow…"

"Is someone close by in pain?" asked Najalim.

"No, this buildup is much too powerful to belong to only one person," replied Tantomile, "There must be scores of minds we are sensing. They are all sharing the same emotions."

"Can you determine their point of origin?" asked Quaftil.

The twins paused again, and soon responded "Right on our current route."

The four sailors each felt a shiver go up their spines.

"We have to keep moving," Grumbuskin announced hastily.

The six of them shouldered their equipment packs and ran as fast as they could towards Hampton Court.

"The empathic surge is building up," said Coricopat.

"We're getting much closer to the source," said Tantomile.

Grumbuskin tried his hardest to remain calm. But he already had an unpleasant idea as to where this disturbance was coming from.

Soon, the six of them arrived at the main entrance of Hampton Court. They looked in through the Lion Gates… and they were greeted with a horrifying sight.

There were bodies of cats lying all over the front courtyard. Many cats were standing above them. Several of the standing cats were acting differently. Some were in a state of shock, some were panicking, some were trying to help the cats on the ground, and some were weeping.

Grumbuskin and the others squeezed under the gate and quickly made their way over to the huge crowd. They looked all over the area, and they noticed that almost all of the cats lying on the ground had a long, thin, wooden stick protruding somewhere out of their bodies. A type of firm feather was attached to the visible end of each stick.

Najalim leaned down next to one of the bodies and checked for a pulse. After discovering that the cat was dead, Najalim pulled out the stick that was protruding from his body. He noted that a sharp, pointed bit of metal was attached to the other end of the stick. He looked it over carefully, and he quickly realized what it was.

"Oh, my EC," he whispered under his breath.

He went over to Ralpharite and handed him the stick. He asked him uneasily "Does this look at all familiar?"

Ralpharite examined the stick, and it did not take long before he too realized what it was. He looked up at the others and said "Siamese arrowheads."

He threw the arrow onto the ground and muttered angrily "I'm sure that we now have a good idea of who did this."

Grumbuskin nodded. He gave the following instructions to the group: "Najalim, Quaftil, Ralpharite, spread out and search for members of the crew. Coricopat, Tantomile, come with me. We have to attempt to organize this crowd."

But before anyone could make a move, they heard someone call out "Commander Grumbuskin! Commander Grumbuskin!"

The six cats turned in the direction of the shout and they saw a young tan and black patched tom approaching them.

As the tom got closer, Grumbuskin recognized him as Menchul, a member of the _Demagogue_'s intelligence department. The black and grey striped tabby asked him "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, sir," Menchul replied, "But I can't say the same about a few less fortunate members of the crew."

"What the hell happened here?" queried Grumbuskin.

"To be honest, I have almost no idea," answered the tan and black tom, "Everything happened too quickly. All I **do** know is that one moment, I was socializing with some of the other members of the crew. The next moment, WHOOSH! A load of arrows come out of fucking nowhere!"

"How is it you managed to avoid getting hit?" asked Ralpharite.

"I was standing in the part of the crowd that was furthest away from the gates when the first volley came," Menchul explained, "The majority of the arrows only landed amongst the two-thirds of the crowd that were closest to the gates."

"'First volley?'" noted Quaftil.

"Yes," Menchul nodded his head, "Less than thirty seconds after all those arrows landed in here, a second wave followed. The second wave delivered much more damage. No more arrows came after that, but I did manage to catch a glimpse of one of the assailants standing at the gates."

"You saw the Siamese?" assumed Grumbuskin.

"Indeed I did, sir," confirmed Menchul, "I should probably let you know that one member of our company went after them. He never came back."

Grumbuskin looked around the area. He could not spot a single member of the crew among the crowd.

"Where's the rest of the crew?" Grumbuskin asked Menchul.

"A few of the others and I decided to separate them from everyone else," answered the black and tan tom, "Fortunately, most of the medical staff survived. They're currently in the process of treating the wounded. But at least eight of our crewmates are already dead. And I'm afraid that they will not be the only ones to die. Come with me; I'll take you to them."

The six cats followed Menchul further down the courtyard. There, they found the other fifty-seven members of the crew gathered together. They all seemed to be divided into two groups. The larger one was composed of everyone who was wounded or not wounded. The much smaller group was composed of everyone that was… dead. They were all neatly lined up side-by-side. There were eight of them total. But a few unwounded cats were half-carrying, half-dragging two more bodies from the large group to the small group.

At the front of the group was a gray and white tiger cat. This was Elamof, the crew's assistant chief medical officer.

Grumbuskin looked around the crowd. He felt many mixed emotions coursing through his mind, such as anger, doubt, grief, and remorse. He turned around and said "Quaftil, do what you can to help these people."

"Yes, sir," nodded the Chief Medical Officer. He made his way over to front of the large group.

Grumbuskin next ordered "Najalim, I know that your field is mostly in science, but you know more about anatomy and biology than even Quaftil does. I need you to help him treat the wounded, too."

"Of course, sir," the Science Officer agreed. He followed Quaftil over to the group.

Grumbuskin turned to Coricopat and Tantomile and said with a note of both doubt and faith "I don't suppose that that charm will work here, will it?"

The twins slowly shook their heads.

"We can only perform the charm every once in a while," Coricopat reminded him.

"Besides, you should not forget that it does not save the body from internal threats or injuries," Tantomile added in.

Grumbuskin sighed and commented as he looked back at the large group of his crewmates "I was afraid of that."


	42. Retreat From The Horror

Elamof looked up from his patient and saw Quaftil approaching. He seemed to breathe a sigh of relief as he told his superior "Thank goodness you're here, sir. I'm in serious need of your help."

Quaftil took off his equipment pack (he had gathered up all the medical supplies from the lifeboat and the sampan before leaving East Molesey) and turned his attention to the crewmember Elamof was treating. Elamof had already managed to extract the arrow from that tom's body, but it had barely missed his heart.

After a quick examination of the wounded crewmember, Quaftil announced his prognosis: "The wound is deep, but not too much damage was done to his body. He has no broken bones, and the penetrated muscle will start to generate itself soon. However, we need to cauterize his wound as quickly as possible or he'll lose too much blood."

"With what, sir?" asked Elamof, "We didn't bring any cauterizing agents. Did you?"

"Yes, I did," Quaftil replied. He opened up his pack and pulled out a bottle of thick liquid, as well as a piece of cloth. He handed both objects to Elamof and instructed him: "Just dab a little of the liquid on the cloth and liberally rub it against the wound. You have to actually **rub **it. If you just pat it gently, the agent won't go into effect."

Elamof nodded and did as he was told. For an entire minute, he vigorously rubbed his crewmate's open wound with the cloth, despite the crewmate's moans of pain in response. Finally, his blood clotted.

"There we go," Quaftil commented, grinning in satisfaction, "Now all we can do is wait for him to regain his strength. That process should start pretty soon."

"Thank… you… sir," the healed crewmember spoke weakly.

"Shhhh, don't talk," Quaftil told him softly, "It will only put pressure on your diaphragm. Wait until you are well enough to stand. Then you may talk."

The crewmember slowly nodded and smiled up at Quaftil.

"What's your name?" Quaftil asked.

"Hosangis, sir," answered the tom, "I can understand why you may not remember me. I'm the ship's assistant chief engineer. We don't see a lot of the medical staff down in the Engine Room."

"That is rather ironic," commented Elamof. He said the next two sentences with a bit of sarcasm, "Because it's quite the opposite from my position. Several people from your department frequently visit the Infirmary."

"That's understandable," Hosangis remarked, "A doctor would not have any real reason to work around engines, but an engineer is often prone to harm when operating complex machinery, so if something goes wrong, he would naturally need medical attention."

"That's my point," said Elamof.

"Elamof, there's a time for friendly banter, but it is not now!" Quaftil interrupted the conversation, "Did you forget that there are still people around us who need medical attention?"

"Of course not, sir," Elamof responded, turning to face his superior once more.

Just then, Quaftil and Elamof heard a panicked voice stay behind them "Come on, buddy. Don't die on me. You cannot die!"

They turned around and saw another member of the medical staff trying to stabilize a wounded crewmember. From where Quaftil and Elamof stood, it appeared as though the wounded party was suffering a seizure. He had three open wounds on his body, indicating that he had been struck by three arrows. His face was pale and covered in sweat, his eyes appeared to be rolling back into his head, and his body was violently convulsing.

The medical crewmember was trying desperately to save his friend, but there was very little he could do.

"We better help him out," Elamof suggested.

Quaftil nodded. They were about to walk over to their fellow medical officer, but somebody approached Quaftil from behind and grabbed onto his arm.

Quaftil turned around and began to shout in annoyance "What is your prob-"

But he abruptly stopped shouting when he saw who had grabbed ahold of him. It was not a member of the crew. It was a young queen. She was doubtlessly someone from the other crowd of cats.

"Excuse me, sir, are you a doctor?" she asked. Quaftil could easily detect both hope and shock in her voice.

"Yes, I am," Quaftil slowly nodded, "How did you know?"

"I saw you treat that tom over there," the queen replied, gesturing over at Hosangis, "My daughter was shot, and if she is not treated soon, I'm certain she will die."

The queen dropped to her knees and said to Quaftil, "Please, I beg of you… help me save her."

Quaftil paused for a moment. All of a sudden, he found himself in an extremely complicated scenario. He had planned to treat another member of the crew, but suddenly a queen was asking him to help her daughter. While he had sworn his allegiance to his crew, he could not bring himself to turn down such a request.

He realized that he had to make a choice: Should he save his crewmate or should he save the daughter of a queen he barely knew? He could not be in two places at once.

Elamof walked over to the queen and told her sharply "Excuse me, ma'am, but in case you didn't notice, we have our own people to worry about! I apologize for what happened to your daughter, but we only have so many medics!"

"You can spare a few!" argued the queen, desperation rampant in her tone.

"We barely even have enough supplies for our colleagues," said Elamof, "We value the lives of our friends as much as value your daughter's life. I'm afraid we cannot do anything for her. Now please get out of our-"

Just then, Quaftil harshly slapped Elamof across his face. Elamof recoiled, but he still held on to the cloth and bottle of liquid.

"Not another word out of your mouth," Quaftil snapped, "This young woman comes to us to ask for our help and you treat her like crap? Who the hell taught you **that** in the navy?"

"N-no one, sir," Elamof replied, "I'm sorry; I… I guess I'm still in shock."

"We all are," Quaftil told his assistant, "But that is no excuse."

He turned back to the queen and stated "Take me to your daughter. I'll heal her if I can."

The queen smiled through her tears of sadness, coughing up the phrase "Thank you."

"Try to help that crewmember;" Quaftil ordered Elamof, "I'll be back as soon as possible."

Elamof nodded and went back to work. Quaftil called Najalim over and asked him for his assistance. The Science Officer willingly agreed.

The young queen led Quaftil and Najalim over to the huge group of cats. A kitten that looked very much like the queen was lying at the end of the group.

Quaftil, Najalim, and the queen leaned down next to the kitten. She was not moving, but Quaftil and Najalim could still make out her heartbeat and pulse.

"Where exactly was she hit?" queried Najalim, "I don't see any open wounds anywhere on her body."

"She was hit right here on her side," the queen pointed out a bleeding patch of fur on her daughter's thigh, "I managed to extract the arrow, but she lost consciousness shortly after that."

"How much medical knowledge do you have?" Quaftil asked the queen.

"Not much," she answered, "Just what my own mother taught me about minor injuries."

"Well, this is far from minor," said Quaftil as he took off his equipment pack, "This type of injury can be very fatal. But we can still save her if you do exactly what I tell you to do."

"Of course, sir," the queen nodded.

"Alright," Quaftil began instructing her, "Take both of your front paws and apply steady, even pressure to the area around the wound."

The queen did as she was told. Quaftil used some of his equipment to extract some bits of lead that had remained in the kitten's wound even after the arrowhead had been taken out. He worked quickly but carefully. Then Najalim began using some more tools and worked with them **inside **the wound. When he was done, Quaftil cauterized the wound and bandaged it. He then told the queen "I managed to get the bleeding under control. Have your daughter stay off her feet for about three weeks. After that, she should be alright."

The queen smiled widely and wrapped her arms around Quaftil and Najalim. She spoke quietly "Thank you, sirs. Thank you so much. I don't know how I could ever repay you."

"You don't have to repay us," Quaftil replied bluntly as he and Najalim pulled themselves away from the queen, "Just take care of your daughter."

"Sir, thanks to you, she is alive," said the queen, "My child still lives. Some other people here could have made that claim a few hours ago. But now they cannot. Look."

The queen gestured towards the crowd. Quaftil and Najalim turned in that direction and saw a kitten lying on the ground with an arrow protruding from his throat. The kitten's mother was sobbing hysterically over the loss of her child. Behind her, many other parents were doing to same.

Najalim and Quaftil were horrified. They had seen friends, colleagues, and grown cats die before, but never had they seen innocent kittens die in such a manner. But they were not going to just ignore this. They wanted to do something about it.

The two of them went back over to Grumbuskin. Najalim told him "Sir, we have to help those people."

"What?" said Grumbuskin in slight disbelief.

"They're dying," stated Quaftil, "We cannot just let them suffer like this."

"Najalim, Quaftil, I admire your good intentions," Grumbuskin assured them, "But we still have to care for our colleagues."

"With all due respect, I believe we can handle everyone here," said Najalim.

"No, we need to concentrate on helping our own!" Grumbuskin raised his voice.

Najalim and Quaftil could tell that Grumbuskin was on edge, but they detected a modicum of anger in his voice that appeared to be directed at himself. Obviously, he was upset about something other than what had just happened.

"Is there something on your mind, sir?" enquired Quaftil.

Grumbuskin slowly nodded and told them remorsefully "It's my fault that our associates are dying in the first place. Just before we left the docks, Ralpharite suggested coming here first and rounding up the rest of the crew before making our way back to Hampton. But I turned down his idea and instead made the decision to get the Captain to safety. Had I taken Ralph's advice, every crewmember that attended this celebration would still be alive!"

"Actually, sir, they do raise a good point," Ralpharite spoke out, "The Siamese assaulted this place with the intent to eliminate our crewmembers. They must have known about their presence here beforehand. Even if we had picked up the crew a little earlier, the Siamese would not have known of this. They would have gone through with this attack anyway. Needless to say, they did not care if their plan involved the deaths of innocent people. And now these people are suffering because of us."

Grumbuskin stood seriously thinking about Ralpharite's words. Indeed, Ralph did raise a good point.

"Very well, then," he agreed, "But I don't think we have enough cauterizing agent for everyone here."

"You're right, we don't," said Quaftil.

The Medical Officer stood thinking about this problem for a moment. Then Najalim suggested "We could just use mud."

"Mud?" said Grumbuskin.

Najalim shrugged and stated "Why not? It's been used to clot wounds for millennia. As long as it does not have too many impurities in it, it should make a good substitute. Temporarily, at least."

"Actually, that is not such a bad idea," said Ralpharite.

"Well, let's get to work," said Grumbuskin.

Over the course of the next hour, Grumbuskin and the others slowly got everything under control. Najalim and Quaftil went over to the larger group and sought out anyone who had any medical training at all. Once they found everyone with medical training, they instructed them how to repair and treat the injuries of the wounded.

They managed to save sixty-three wounded cats in the larger group that night. Unfortunately, another forty-two of them had died. Eleven of those were kittens.

The members of Growltiger's crew had taken heavy casualties on their end as well. They lost twenty-six of their colleagues that night, including the one that had been suffering from a seizure. That was the tom Quaftil and Najalim had turned down treating in order to save that one queen's daughter.

Technically, they actually lost twenty-seven of their company, as they presumed that the tom that had run after the Siamese was dead as well. In total, sixty-nine cats had been lost that night at Hampton Court.

Once everybody had been treated for their injuries, Grumbuskin filled them in on what had happened at the Molesey docks. Needless to say, the crew was completely shocked to discover this. However, they were glad to know that Growltiger was still alive.

"What happens now, sir?" enquired Menchul.

"We're going back to Hampton tonight," Grumbuskin announced, "From there, we'll decide our plans for the immediate future."

Every member of the crew agreed to this. They did not have time to bury their dead or bring them along. However, Growltiger did say a few words to honor their memory, just as he had done with Farios a few hours earlier.

Once their business at Hampton Court was accomplished, they left the courtyard. The decided to travel in groups in order to avoid looking conspicuous to passing humans. Of course, several of them needed help walking, as the injuries of certain individuals had left them limping, lagging, or plodding along.

Another hour later, all the groups made it back to Hampton. Grumbuskin found Roshedam waiting for them by the alley entrance. The yellow and brown tom looked around the company and said "I thought you told me to prepare to receive a group of over fifty cats. Why is it there are only slightly over thirty here?"

"Long story," was all Grumbuskin said, "But I need to know; did you find enough uninhabited buildings?"

"I certainly did," replied Roshedam, "There are three apartments two doors down the road that have been labeled as 'condemned' as well. I'd suggest moving your people into those bulidings."

Grumbuskin nodded and turned to face the group. He ordered Quaftil, Najalim, and Ralpharite to escort the other thirty-two surviving members of the crew to those three buildings.

"Come right back here once everyone is settled in," he instructed them, "We're going to have a short meeting."

The Chief Medical Officer, the Science Officer, and the Intelligence Officer complied with these orders. Grumbuskin, Coricopat, Tantomile, and Roshedam made their way up to the third floor window on the fire escape platform.

When they got back inside, they found everyone else was still in the living room. No one had moved very much. Tumblebrutus was still unconscious, Jemima was still at his side, Growltiger was lying in the same spot as before, Victor was sitting in a chair, and Dawlimer, Scurtena, and Bellazni were sitting near their comatose father.

Griddlebone was the only one that had moved. She was standing near the fireplace, inspecting her nails.

Grumbuskin, Ralpharite, and the mystic twins all got settled in the room. They waited in silence for Ralpharite, Najalim, and Quaftil to come back.

A few minutes later, the three toms returned. Once they arrived in the living room and got settled, Grumbuskin finally spoke. He said "I understand how all of you must be feeling at the moment. We all went through hell. But some of us had to go through it twice: Once at the docks of East Molesey, and once at Hampton Court."

"What do you mean?" asked Griddlebone, "What happened at Hampton Court?"

"The Siamese set up an unplanned assault on the members of the crew that were attending the celebration there," Grumbuskin explained, "It appears that a legion of archers fired two waves of arrows into the vast crowd of cats. The arrows killed sixty-eight cats total. But only twenty-six of those were members of the crew."

Victor sat up in his chair and spoke "You mean that the Siamese killed forty-two innocent people just so they could try to eliminate the rest of our crew?"

Grumbuskin slowly nodded. Then he added "More of them would have died, had it not been for Najalim and Quaftil's bravery and skills."

The Medical Officer and the Science Officer both lightly smirked at Grumbuskin to convey their appreciation. The black and grey tom continued "We managed to bring back the remaining thirty-two members. Only seven of us in this room – those being the Captain, Victor, Tumblebrutus, Quaftil, Najalim, Ralpharite, and myself – also belong to that crew. That brings our crew to a total of thirty-nine now."

"You mean that out of the original ninety-five of us, only thirty-nine are left?" said Victor in utter disbelief.

"Well, it could be forty," Grumbuskin stated hopefully, "According to Crewman Menchul, one crewmember ran after the Siamese shortly after they released the second volley of arrows into the courtyard. That crewmember never came back, but we are not certain as to whether or not he is dead."

"Perhaps he was the spy," Griddlebone hypothesized.

"I doubt that," stated Victor, "The spy must have been on the _Demagogue _while the attack took place. Otherwise, they would not have been able to lace my drinking glass with that sedative."

"We can discuss this later," stated Grumbuskin, "For now, we must concentrate on where we go from here."

He paused for a moment to look around at the many faces in front of him. After a while, he sighed morosely and said "With Growltiger comatose and the _Demagogue _captured, we must accept our current position. For the moment, we have been chased away from the river by our enemies. Our numbers are too few to launch a counterstrike against the Siamese, so that leaves us with only one option: we must go into hiding."

Almost immediately after he said that, Victor, Najalim, Quaftil, and Ralpharite all began talking at the same time.

"Go into hiding?" Victor shouted, "That's the last thing we should be doing! We can't let the Siamese win!"

"After all the pain the Siamese have caused, we're just going to let them get away with it!" snapped Quaftil angrily, "That is outrageous!"

"The Siamese must be punished for their cruelty!" protested Najalim, "We cannot just run away from our problems like that!"

"Sir, I have always believed you to make excellent decisions," Ralpharite stated, "But I will not agree with this one! The Siamese will pay!"

After about twenty seconds of hearing the four toms shout all at once, Grumbuskin held up his paw to gesture for silence. They quickly quieted down. Once there was complete silence, Grumbuskin went on: "Gentlemen, I did not say that we were going to let the Siamese get away with this. But now would be the worst possible time to strike back. For the moment, we are only thirty-nine sailors. Genghis has hundreds of units amassed in this city alone. And once word of his victory against our ship gets around, I am certain that some of our allies will defect to his side!"

"What?" said Victor, "You honestly think they would just betray us like that?"

"Well, some of them will try to exact revenge," Grumbuskin reasoned, "But only a few select captains would do this. The majority of our allies would either stay away from the Siamese at all cost, or join them."

Ralpharite sneered and commented "Dishonorable bastards."

"Indeed," stated Grumbuskin, "Now, getting back to the subject at hand, I have a plan for how we will go into hiding. I need you all to pay very close attention to this."

When Grumbuskin was certain that everyone was listening closely, he told them "Originally, I planned to have half of our remaining crew stay here in Hampton while the other half returns to London. The former group would gather intelligence of the Siamese activities down here while the latter group would do the same up there. Unfortunately, our crew has been sharply reduced in number. So now, I have decided to have thirteen of us remain here while the remaining twenty-six of us travelled back to London.

Grumbuskin paused again. Then he addressed Victor, Ralpharite, Quaftil, and Najalim directly "The four of you will be in the first group."

"What about you, sir?" asked Victor.

"I will be returning to London," Grumbuskin responded, "Since you are now the top officers of this crew, I will be leaving the Captain in your care."

"You can count on us, sir," Najalim stated.

"I thought so," said Grumbuskin. He turned to Victor and told him "Victor, you will command the group that remains here, as you are the highest-ranking officer."

Victor seemed a little unsure of this order. He tentatively asked Grumbuskin "Sir, are you certain that would be a good idea when considering… this?"

When Victor said 'this,' he gestured to his left front leg – the one with the missing paw. Grumbuskin just scoffed and said "You may have a disability now, Victor, but I believe you are the most competent one to take charge of the group that remains here."

"Well, thank you, sir," said Victor, flattered.

"On that note, I need you to pick out eight individuals from the rest of the crew," Grumbuskin told the cream and brown tom, "Look for toms that are attentive, watchful, smart, and strong enough to fight. Those eight will be the ones that remain here with you. The others will be going back to London with me."

"It shall be done, sir," Victor assured the black and grey tom.

"Good," said Grumbuskin.

"There is still one main problem with your idea of breaking us up into two groups," Ralpharite stated, "How will we remain in contact with each other? Those walkie-talkies definitely do not have a range that covers that distance, and our technological resources are somewhat limited at the moment."

"I'll work on that," Grumbuskin replied, "Now, tonight, I will be going back to London. There are two things I need to accomplish there."

"Are you going by yourself, sir?" queried Ralpharite.

"No, Ralph, you're coming with me," Grumbuskin answered, "I need your help in one of the things I need done: finding a hideout in that city for the group that goes there."

"I'd be glad to help you, sir," stated Ralph, "I know that city very well."

Grumbuskin nodded at Ralpharite. Again, there was silence in the room for a while.

Finally, Jemima broke it. She asked Grumbuskin "What about me and my friends, sir? What happens to us?"

Grumbuskin slowly turned towards the very young queen and told her "That brings me to the other item of business I must attend to in London: taking you, Coricopat, Tantomile, and Tumblebrutus home."

Jemima tried to smile, but for some reason, she could not. She asked Grumbuskin "Which group will Tumble remain with? Because I'm positive that he will not be able to stay here in-"

"No, I believe you misunderstand me," Grumbuskin politely interrupted, "You are young. Tumblebrutus is young, too. And the Siamese know little about him. They do not even know his name. For those reasons, he should not be involved with us any longer."

Jemima was very surprised to hear that response. She said "But sir, if I'm not mistaken, you said that Tumble is one of the finest members of your crew."

"Yes, he is," Grumbuskin agreed, "But if he continues working with us, your tribe could somehow become implicated in our affairs with the Siamese. Besides, the two of you have your whole lives ahead of you. You should not spend it working with outcasts."

"Surely there must be something we could do to help you," Jemima responded.

"I am grateful for the offer, but I'm afraid not," Grumbuskin declined, "Tumblebrutus almost killed Genghis tonight, Jemima."

"He did?" Jemima raised an eyebrow in alarm.

"Yes, he did," Grumbuskin nodded, "Had Nihaar not knocked him out, he would have succeeded. If he had killed Genghis, not only would it have been much harder to put all this behind him, but the Siamese would never stop hunting him until he was dead. They would have hunted down you, too, as well as anyone close to Tumble."

Jemima did not know what to say. She only looked down at Tumblebrutus and watched him closely. He was still unconscious, and he still had a gash on the top of his head, but to Jemima, he looked so handsome. She did not want to just walk away from everything that had happened, but even more, she did not want anything to happen to Tumblebrutus or their tribe.

Finally, she looked up at Grumbuskin and told him "I understand. We'll go home whenever you're ready to go."

"If it is alright with you, I would prefer to leave now, while Tumblebrutus is still unconscious," Grumbuskin told her, "The further away we are from this place when he wakes up, the easier it will be for him to leave all of this behind."

"But how will we transport him?" asked Jemima.

"I can carry him," Grumbuskin offered, "That will not be any problem at all."

"Very well," Jemima agreed.

Grumbuskin turned to Ralpharite, Coricopat, and Tantomile and asked them "Are you all ready to leave?"

The three cats nodded.

"Then let's get going," said Grumbuskin.


	43. Two Stories Converge

Note: There're only three more chapters to go after this one.

Just before leaving, Grumbuskin went down to the other three condemned apartment buildings on the block and notified the rest of the crew of his plan. They all seemed to find it a brilliant strategy.

Not long after that, Jemima, Coricopat, and Tantomile said their good-byes to everyone. Dawlimer, Scurtena, and Bellazni came to Jemima and personally thanked her for giving them the letters from their mother. Griddlebone thanked Jemima as well, and just before the young queen left, the Persian queen told her "Don't you ever let go of Tumblebrutus. I can tell you right now that he's the best tom for you."

Jemima only smiled her simple smile and replied "I have no intention of letting him go, milady. It's because of him that I came on this mission in the first place."

After this very brief conversation ended, Grumbuskin announced "Ralph and I should be back sometime tomorrow night, if not in the late afternoon. We'll resolve everything that remains to be resolved from there."

Everyone agreed. Victor told Grumbuskin "By the time you get back, I'll have selected the eight crewmen that will be staying here with me, Najalim, Quaftil, Ralph, and the Captain."

"I'm certain you'll choose wisely, Victor," commented Grumbuskin.

He picked up Tumblebrutus and carried him in his arms. He then turned to Ralpharite, Coricopat, Tantomile, and Jemima. Each of them had put their equipment packs back on. Grumbuskin had his pack over his back as well. All he said to the others was "Let's move out."

The five cats got back out into the street through the fire escape platform. To get Tumble safely onto the ground, Grumbuskin tied a rope around his shoulders and waist as a harness and – from the top of the first-floor platform – used it to gently lower Tumblebrutus to the ground. Once Grumbs was on the ground with everyone else, he gathered up the rope, put it away, picked Tumblebrutus up again, and the group set off.

They managed to hop onboard a double decker bus to travel most of the way back to the Hampton Court railway station. Just before they got there, they passed by Hampton Court. They looked inside the front courtyard through the Lion Gates. There was no one there. Even the bodies of the dead were gone.

"I guess somebody did a little… tidying up," commented Ralpharite.

"Perhaps," stated Grumbuskin, "But let's not let this hinder us. We only have about a hundred meters and then we'll arrive at the Hampton Court railway station."

The group continued running. Finally, they made their way to the small station. Ralpharite took out his schedule, quickly looked it over, and asked "What time is it?"

Tantomile looked up at a clock and announced "About fifteen minutes after two o'clock."

"Then assuming this itinerary is correct, the next train should arrive in a little less than ten minutes," Ralpharite announced.

"Looks like we'll just have to wait," stated Coricopat.

The five cats decided to get settled on a bench while they waited. It was very early in the morning, so there were not many humans there.

Grumbuskin gently laid Tumblebrutus' unconscious form on the center of the bench. Jemima sat near Tumble so that his head was resting on her lap. She looked down at him and delicately stroked the fur on top of his head. She turned to Ralpharite, who was still looking over his schedule of the trains, and asked him "Do you have any idea how long it may take for Tumble to regain consciousness?"

Ralpharite sat thinking for a moment, rubbing his chin with one of his front paws. Medicine and biology were not his fields of expertise, but he was arguably the most intelligent member of the _Demagogue_'s crew. After all, he served as the ship's Intelligence Officer for a reason.

Finally, Ralph responded "I guess he'll regain consciousness sometime within the next few hours, but it's hard to say for certain. We'll probably just have to wait and see."

Coricopat and Tantomile were sitting at one end of the bench, meditating as usual. Grumbuskin was sitting on the other end, and Ralpharite was sitting in-between him and Jemima.

Grumbuskin extracted his box of catnip from his equipment pack. He opened up the lid, took out a few leaves, and brought them up to his nose. But just before he inhaled them, he paused. He looked down at his paw and stared at the catnip leaves. He slowly lowered his paw and placed the leaves back in the box. He held onto the box with both paws and gazed at it. The outside of it was embroidered with jewels of many colors. It was painted red and blue and it seemed to date back to the Victorian Era.

When Ralpharite looked up from his schedule, he noticed a tear in Grumbuskin's eye.

"Are you alright, sir?" asked Ralph.

Grumbuskin did not answer him immediately. After a few seconds of silence, he uttered "Ralph… do you know where I got this box?"

"No, sir," replied Ralpharite, "Where did you get it?"

"It was a gift from my father," answered Grumbuskin, "This was the last thing he gave me before he disappeared. Just a couple months before I came of age, he gave me this box and told me that my grandfather had given it to him just before he came of age as well. He told me to think of it as an heirloom; something that's meant to survive as long as the family who owns it survives."

Grumbuskin paused here as Ralpharite absorbed this information. The Intelligence Officer asked him "Was the memory of losing your father what saddened you?"

"No, Ralph, that wasn't a tear of sadness," Grumbuskin responded, "It was a tear of regret and guilt."

"What do you mean, sir?" enquired Ralpharite.

"Ralph, when I was just a kitten, my father and I lost everyone in my family," Grumbuskin clarified, "I can vaguely even remember how it happened, but I do recall that their deaths involved both a fire and a vicious group of Pollicle dogs. My father and I barely made it out alive ourselves. We lived on the streets for a while. Life was terrible, but my father always kept me company, and he gave me hope. You see, this box is the only thing that remains of my family's memory. When my father gave me it, he also gave me the responsibility of ensuring our family's survival."

Grumbuskin paused yet again. Then, out of nowhere, more tears of guilt came to his eyes and he muttered through angry breaths "But I've been using this box to do the exact opposite! I mean, I've been using this box as a catnip holder ever since I became a sailor, and I've been destroying my health, thanks to my addiction! How could I have become so dismissive of my family's customs? How could I just take what I should have regarded as my most valuable possession and use it as nothing more than a container for a WORTHLESS, DEPLORABLE, DESPICABLE PIECE OF SHIT PLANT to soothe my primal cravings? I must be mad!"

Ralpharite seriously thought about Grumbuskin's words. Truthfully, he could understand the black and grey tom's reasoning for being so upset. He commented "You are not mad, sir, but it actually is rather admirable of you to recognize the value in prized possessions, sir. They have much more worth than a simple drug ever will."

"You are correct, Ralph," Grumbuskin nodded, "I cannot believe it took losing over half of the crew and dozens of innocent people for me to realize just how much we must respect the memory of our loved ones. That is why I am going to change. As of right now, I will treat this box as it should be treated: a treasure. I have also decided to go off catnip permanently."

Grumbuskin extracted all of the leaves in the box and held them out to Ralpharite. He told the red and white tabby "I need you to do me a favor, Ralph. Could you hold on to these until you and I get back here? Even though I'm never taking catnip again, I think that Najalim and Quaftil can find some medicinal or scientific use for them. I'd hate to waste potential resources."

"That sounds like an excellent idea, sir," stated Ralpharite as Grumbuskin handed him the catnip. Ralph took a container out of his equipment pack and stored all the leaves inside it.

Grumbuskin was certain that he could trust Ralpharite not to use the catnip. After all, the red and white tabby had spent a few months at the navy academy studying psychology and the mind, and thanks to that course, one of the fields he was very well-versed in was the damaging effects of drugs, especially the mental ones. That was one of the reasons why Ralpharite had never taken catnip or any other drug in his life.

After Ralpharite put the container back in his equipment pack, he looked up at Grumbuskin and asked him "What are you going to do with the box now? Are you going to find some other use for it?"

Grumbuskin continued gazing at the box as he lightly shook his head. He stated "I plan to just hold onto it until the day the Everlasting Cat takes me back to my family. Then the heirloom will have served its purpose: it will have witnessed my entire family's history."

Coricopat, Tantomile, and Jemima had been listening in on the conversation between the red and white tom and the black and grey tom. At that moment, Jemima spoke up. She said "Or, sir, you could try to continue your family line so that you can give the box to the next generation."

Grumbuskin looked over at Jemima and smiled at her. He shook his head and, as he looked back at the box, remarked "I would love to do just that, Jemima, but I believe I am too old to continue my line."

"I do not believe that, sir," Jemima stated in honesty.

"Oh?" said Grumbuskin, "Well, maybe this will convince you: while Growltiger may appear to be much older than I, I am actually only a few months younger than him. I'm not certain why that is. Maybe I just aged more gracefully, or it could be because he received many more battle injuries than I ever did."

"Regardless of that, I still believe it's possible for you to father children," said Jemima, "My tribe's leader actually has the word 'old' in his name. He is much older than you are. He's even older than Growltiger. But he has children that are much younger than you, too."

Grumbuskin shrugged and told Jemima "You certainly make a good counterargument. I have always wondered what type of father I would turn out to be. But of course, that would involve finding the right queen and such. I do have a queenfriend, but I'm not certain if she would be interested in that sort of thing."

"I suppose you could talk to her about it," Jemima suggested.

"I guess I could," Grumbuskin agreed. He slowly turned back to Jemima and said "What I would **really** like to know is your own position on that idea. You seem so certain that I would make a fair parent, but do **you **look forward to motherhood if or when it comes about for you?"

Even though Jemima was the youngest member of the Jellicle Tribe, she still looked forward to the day when she could have kittens of her own. She was about to respond "Yes, I do" to Grumbuskin's question, but her mind strangely urged her not to answer straight away.

Jemima was gradually reminded of the last time she had been asked that question. The connection between that occasion and the current scenario seemed almost too ironic in its own way.

She looked down at Tumblebrutus and gently stroked his forehead a few times. Then she slowly turned to Grumbuskin and told him "I have wanted to have kittens of my own for a long time. I know I am far too young, but that does not stop me from looking forward into the future. Do you know who the last person to ask me that was?"

Grumbuskin, using logical means (as well as commonsensical ones), gestured towards the tom whose head was resting on Jemima's lap. Jemima nodded, saying "You are correct. It was Tumblebrutus. But one thing that really stands out to me is the fact that he asked me that question on the same day he met you. Just a few hours earlier, in fact."

Both Ralpharite and Grumbuskin raised an eyebrow in interest. "Really?" said the former.

Jemima nodded. She then told him "You see, it happened about five weeks ago. That was the first night when Tumble wanted to have a serious relationship with me. Before that day, we had been best friends. But I secretly loved him. For some reason I cannot imagine, I did not realize that he loved me, too. However, he was the one that made the first move. He tried his hardest to ask me to be his queenfriend, but he got so nervous that he gave up and ran off into the city."

"Why would he do that?" asked Ralpharite.

"He just finds that visiting the city is a great way for him to relieve his stress," Jemima answered, "Fortunately, two days later, I managed to catch on to what he was trying to tell me. When he came home that night, I went to talk to him about it."

"That's nice," commented Ralpharite, "In my opinion, you two make a marvelous couple."

Grumbuskin nodded his agreement, but he suddenly stopped. He recalled the night that he had taken Tumblebrutus on board the _Demagogue_, Tumble had told him and the other members of the senior staff that he had been on a walk when he came to the docks. He had also told them that his reasoning was that he had been under a lot of stress. Grumbuskin started putting together the events at the docks with what Jemima had just told him. He then said to the young queen, "Jemima, when we first brought Tumblebrutus on board, he told us that his reason for 'trespassing,' as we called it, was that he had been going on a walk because he was suffering from stress. Putting that together with what you just told us, it could be possible that… perhaps your conversation with him was what brought him to the docks in the first place, and subsequently what established him as a member of the _Demagogue_'s crew."

Jemima was astonished by the connection Grumbuskin had just made. He seemed to be implying that if Tumble had not gotten nervous during their conversation, he would never have visited the docks. In short, it was essentially thanks to Jemima that Tumble had come to serve under Growltiger's command. That struck her as a remarkable coincidence.

After pondering on this for a while, Jemima only said "That… is truly amazing."

Just a minute later, the train finally arrived at the Hampton Court railway station. Grumbuskin picked up Tumblebrutus and carried him again. The group made their way to an empty train car and got comfortable on the seats. The train soon got underway.

As the train made its way back to London, Ralpharite commented "This is rather peculiar, is it not? We're the exact same group that travelled to Molesey on this same railway less than three and a-half days ago. Except, of course, Dominev and Placondgo are not here."

Grumbuskin sighed and remarked "That is true. It's a shame that the two of them had to die on the _Demagogue_."

"But at least they died for something they believed in," stated Jemima.

"Indeed they did," Grumbuskin concurred.

After a few minutes of travelling in silence, Grumbuskin started to explain the plan for what they would do once they reached their destination.

He first addressed only Ralpharite. He ordered him "Ralph, as soon as we arrive in London, I want you to make your way to the center of the city. That would be an ideal place for us to establish our bunker. Search and scout around the area for any abandoned buildings you believe would make a suitable hiding place for at least two dozen cats. We'll rendezvous at the Westminster Docks."

"You can count on me, sir," Ralpharite assured him, "What will you be doing?"

Grumbuskin gestured towards the Jellicles and replied "I'll be escorting these four back to their home."

"Of course, I should have figured you would do that," said Ralpharite.

Grumbuskin told Coricopat, Tantomile, and Jemima "I'll see to it that you all arrive home safely. I'm certain that you know the way, but you can never be to certain about your safety when traveling outside at night. Plus, you'll need somebody to carry Tumblebrutus for you."

The three of them agreed to this arrangement. Grumbuskin went on: "When we arrive at your home, I'll have to leave. Tumblebrutus told me about a type of excuse he had made up in order to explain his absence. Are you familiar with it?"

"Yes, it was the thing about a hunting group," Jemima recalled, "We can easily tell them that Tumble suffered a head injury while stalking his prey and we had to bring him home subsequently. All we'd have to worry about after that is explaining to him the events of the past few hours."

"Excellent," said Grumbuskin, "I just hope he will understand."

"You don't have to worry about that, sir," Coricopat told the black and grey tom, "That's our problem, not yours."

About twenty-five minutes later, the train arrived at the end of the line at the London Waterloo Train Station. The six cats got off there and started to make their way to the station's main entrance.

Just before they got here, they heard a voice shout a few meters behind them "Jemima!"

The group stopped in their tracks. Jemima knew that voice anywhere. She slowly turned around and saw an orange tabby tom with a black and white leather vest approach the group.

The tom stopped in front of her and stated "I thought that was you. Jemima, what are you doing here?"

Jemima did not answer him. She seemed too stunned to speak.

After a moment, Grumbuskin stepped forward and asked "Jemima, who is this?"

Jemima quickly composed herself and replied in a somewhat nervous tone "Grumbuskin, I'd like you to meet my father… Skimbleshanks."

Jemima had figured that her father would not arrive back at the Station until around five or six in the morning, like he usually did. But at that moment, she quickly realized that it was Sunday. And Skimble typically had a much shorter shift on Sunday; it usually lasted until three in the morning. When Jemima looked up at the station's clock, it was almost three on the dot. She could only wonder why she did not anticipate encountering her father.

Nevertheless, she did her best to remain calm. Upon seeing the expression across her father's face when he looked at Grumbuskin and Ralpharite, she told her father "Daddy, these are two of our… friends, Grumbs and Ralph."

"Pleasure, sir," commented Grumbuskin.

"Wait a moment," Skimbleshanks stated as he studied Ralpharite, "I remember you! You're that 'sailor boy' that stopped by last week to ask me for the schedule of the train in Travelcard Zone 6!"

Ralpharite knew full well what Skimble meant. The night before he and the others had travelled to Hampton Court, he had gone to the station alone to request a copy of the railway line's exact schedule for the entire week. Skimbleshanks was the one that had supplied him with the schedule.

At the time, neither of them knew who the others was, so while Skimble waited for the Night Mail to arrive, Ralph lingered for a while and talked with him. They mostly talked about their jobs. Ralpharite did not mention anything explicit or compromising about his work, but he did tell Skimbleshanks that he served on board a ship on the Thames.

He did not expect to meet him again. But, as fate would have it, he did. Skimbleshanks was very suspicious. He demanded to know what was going on.

Jemima stepped forward and said "It's a very long and complicated story, Daddy. Could it at least wait until we get home?"

Skimbleshanks agreed to this. He noticed that Grumbuskin was carrying Tumblebrutus, who was still unconscious.

"What happened to him?" Skimbleshanks enquired.

"We'll explain that in time," Grumbuskin assured him.

"I don't know who you are, but I am certain that you are not 'hunters,'" Skimbleshanks remarked, referring to the story his daughter and Tumble had told him and the rest of the tribe. That was the story about why the two of them would be for the week, along with Coricopat and Tantomile. "It is very easy for me to tell a person's trade just by looking at them. I can conclude straightaway that you are not hunters, but sailors. I demand an explanation!"

Grumbuskin found himself in a very difficult position. He eventually decided that there was no point in just hiding the truth; it would only detain the group further.

He leaned over to Ralpharite and whispered in his ear "Change of plan: we'll escort them home together. Then you will do what I told you to do while I give an explanation."

"Are you certain that would be wise, sir?" enquired Ralpharite.

"Yes, Ralph, I am certain," replied Grumbuskin.

Skimbleshanks agreed to wait on their explanation. The group of seven left the station, Skimbleshanks leading the way back to the Jellicle Tribe's home. Everyone managed to stay calm, especially Coricopat and Tantomile. Skimble did not delay them by asking them questions. In fact, they travelled in relative silence.

Soon, they arrived at the front entrance of the Jellicle Junkyard.


	44. Honorably Discharged

Note: My apologies if this chapter seems somewhat difficult to follow at certain points. I'm just somewhat eager to wrap this thing up. Oh, and I also apologize for this chapter's length. I don't intend to ever have a chapter this long again. But I think it will be worth it. By the way, I'm betting that by the end of this chapter, some of you will be wondering "WTF?"

Once they were at the gates of the Jellicle Junkyard, Skimbleshanks gestured for the others to go in, but Grumbuskin stopped him and stated "Sir, if it is not too much to ask, do you suppose that you could just get the minimum number of individuals that really need to be aware of my presence, as well as my colleague's? It is imperative that he and I keep a low profile."

Skimbleshanks stood thinking for a moment. He seriously doubted that Grumbuskin would not just run off once his back was turned. That is, until Jemima told him "You can trust him, Daddy. He is a tom of his word."

Skimble nodded sternly and headed in through the junkyard's gates.

Once again, Grumbuskin, Ralpharite, and their four Jellicle associates were left alone.

While they waited, Grumbuskin turned to Ralpharite and told him "When they get back, I want you to begin your search for that hideout. After I've cleared everything up with these people, I have some business I must attend to before we meet up."

Ralpharite nodded, saying "I understand, sir. May I ask what type of business?"

Grumbuskin hesitated a moment before replying "I have to speak with Linnota."

"Oh, alright then," was all Ralph said.

"Who?" asked Jemima.

"My ma- queenfriend," Grumbuskin responded, "I have to discuss certain things with her."

"Would one of those things be what you and I talked about at Hampton Court railway station?" enquired Jemima curiously.

Grumbuskin did not answer her. He just looked down at his feet and hung his head in silence.

"I- I'm sorry, sir," Jemima quickly told him, "I didn't mean to suggest anything I should not have suggested. I was just-"

"No, Jemima, it was not the question that bothered me," Grumbuskin replied, "It's just that… the idea of having kittens… I abandoned that idea long ago because… well, because…"

"Because why?" asked Jemima.

Grumbuskin sighed and looked down at her. He decided to tell her the whole truth. "Jemima, I told you that Linnota was my queenfriend. I've told everyone that for a long time. The truth is that she is actually my mate. She has been my mate for a long time. I've only told people that she is my queenfriend to keep her safe. Well, saf-ER, at least."

"But why does the concept of having kittens trouble you?" queried Jemima.

"Because a long time ago, Linnota and I tried for a litter," Grumbuskin explained, "About three years and four months ago, she and I were expecting. I came to visit her frequently while she was pregnant. Then, about two weeks before she was due, I was sent out to collect one of Captain Vearhin's tributes. I managed to pick up the tribute, but just before I could return from that mission, I was captured by the Siamese. They held me prisoner for six weeks, torturing me for information about Growltiger and the _Demagogue_. But I would not crack. I prayed to the Everlasting Cat that I would not die there and that I would live to see my child. As fate would have it, the first wish came true the very next day when some of my Captain's allies ambushed that Siamese outpost and liberated all the prisoners, including myself."

Grumbuskin paused for a moment and then continued with a note of sadness growing in his voice: "But I was denied the second wish. When I returned home to London the following week, I came home to Linnota. She came sobbing into my arms when I stepped through our front door. At first I thought it was because she was happy to see me. Unfortunately, she was crying both tears of joy and tears of sadness. The joyful ones were because I had returned home. The sad ones were because… she told me the kitten died during birth."

Jemima, Coricopat, Tantomile, and Ralpharite all gasped in shock. Grumbuskin sighed and told them "Linnota has very bright yellow fur. She told me the kitten was a yellow tom with light black – almost brownish – stripes. And I never even got to see his body. Linnota was very upset at the time. Not at me, but at herself, actually. She felt a remarkable amount of guilt for losing our child. I tried to comfort her and tell her that the miscarriage was not her fault, but she would not stop tormenting herself. I did not want her to ever have to go through that type of pain again, so we decided to remain childless."

With that, Grumbuskin ended his explanation. The other four were still shocked to hear this.

"If your child had lived, how old would he be today?" asked Coricopat.

Grumbuskin thought a moment before answering "He would be past his coming of age, but far from middle-age. He would at least be a young adult. He would definitely be older than Dawlimer, Scurtena, and Bellazni."

"In any case, you have our sympathy," Tantomile told him.

"Thank you," Grumbuskin smiled.

A moment later, Skimbleshanks returned to the junkyard's entrance. He was accompanied by three cats. One of them was middle-aged; another was close to middle-age; the third was simply an adult who was around halfway between coming of age and middle-age. The middle-aged cat was a tom with mostly-light brown fur. This was Asparagus. The cat close to middle-age was Jellylorum. Munkustrap was the third one.

"Can you please just tell us what this is all about, Skimble?" enquired the Jellicle Protector.

"Ask him, Munk," Skimble replied, pointing out Grumbuskin.

As the four of them approached the group of six, Grumbuskin took a few moments to study Jellylorum and Asparagus. He noted several physical similarities the two of them had with Tumblebrutus. Before long, he was able to draw a conclusion.

He stepped forward and stated "Excuse me, are you this boy's parents?"

He turned Tumble in his arms slightly so that the two cats could get a closer look at him. When they realized who he was, they were shocked. Asparagus' eyes shot open in alarm and Jellylorum cried out "Oh, my – Tumblebrutus!"

Jellylorum reached out her arms to receive Tumblebrutus. Grumbuskin carefully transferred Tumble from his arms to hers. She lowered her son's legs to the ground and supported his back on her knee while holding onto his head with her left front paw and onto his shoulder with her right front paw. As she gazed at his tightly shut eyes, she looked as if she was on the verge of tears.

Asparagus kneeled behind his mate and placed one of his front paws on her shoulders. He placed his other front paw on Tumble's shoulders to help his mate support him.

Asparagus looked up at Grumbuskin and asked him rigidly "What happened to him?"

Grumbuskin – remaining calm as usual – replied "Given the circumstances, you all deserve an explanation. You shall be provided with one. However, I believe that only one of us needs to explain everything. So I must first request that my associate be allowed to leave. He has business he must attend to."

Skimbleshanks, Asparagus, and Jellylorum turned to Munkustrap, who was studying Ralpharite visually. The three older cats knew very well that only the Jellicle Protector had the authority to decide whether or not to detain someone who entered their territory.

After about thirty seconds of deliberation, Munkustrap turned to Grumbuskin and answered "Very well. He may leave. But only if you agree to explain what happened to Tumblebrutus."

Grumbuskin nodded to this arrangement and turned to Ralpharite. He told him "Remember, Ralph: we will rendezvous at the Westminster Docks. I should be there by sunrise, if not before."

"Very well; I'll meet you there, sir," Ralpharite agreed. The red and white tabby turned around and ran through the streets of London.

Once Ralph disappeared from his sight, Grumbuskin turned back to the Jellicles and told them "Now we may talk."

Munkustrap gestured for Grumbuskin to follow him inside the junkyard. The grey and black striped tom complied. Asparagus helped Jellylorum carried Tumblebrutus inside the junkyard. Skimbleshanks followed them with Jemima, Coricopat, and Tantomile.

Before long, they reached the main clearing. No one else was there, as it was after three o'clock in the morning.

Skimbleshanks, Jemima, Coricopat, Tantomile, and Munkustrap stayed in the clearing while Jellylorum and Asparagus took Tumblebrutus to their den. Grumbuskin offered to assist them. They were a bit hesitant to accept his aid, but they could tell he felt obligated to help them, so they agreed to it.

"Please be quiet as you move around," Jellylorum whispered to Grumbuskin as she, her mate, and the grey and black tabby stepped inside the den, "We have two other children who are both asleep."

Grumbuskin nodded as he helped the couple move Tumblebrutus through the den. Grumbuskin found it little odd how the two of them had to combine their efforts to carry Tumblebrutus while Grumbuskin himself had managed to carry the young tom for thousands of feet on his own. Even though Grumbuskin was in better physical condition than Asparagus and Jellylorum, he was actually older than either of them.

The three of them quietly passed by Etcetera's room. Next they passed by Pouncival's room. Both of them were sound asleep, just as their parents had predicted.

Then they came to Tumblebrutus' room. Asparagus and Jellylorum gently laid their son down on his bed. Earlier, Grumbuskin had removed Tumble's equipment pack and his sword. However, he had left the neckband that held Tumblebrutus' medal was still around the young white and brown patched tom's neck.

Jellylorum noticed the medal. She took the neckband off her son's neck and asked Grumbuskin "What is this?"

"It's a medal that I gave him," Grumbuskin replied, "That too shall be explained."

Asparagus looked over Tumblebrutus for any signs of harm. Soon, his eyes fell across the deep gash on the top of his son's head.

He looked up at Grumbuskin and asked him coldly "How did he get **this**?"

Grumbuskin sighed and said "There's no point in prolonging the explanation any further. But your friends out there – Skimbleshanks and that black and silver tom… what was his name?"

"His name is Munkustrap," replied Asparagus.

"Right, Skimbleshanks and Munkustrap deserve to hear it, too," Grumbuskin told them, "I believe it would be a wiser idea to let your son rest while we talk."

"Indeed it would be," Asparagus concurred.

Jellylorum placed a cold, damp washcloth over the injury on Tumblebrutus' head. Then she, her mate, and Grumbuskin stepped outside to rejoin Munkustrap, Skimbleshanks, Coricopat, Tantomile, and Jemima.

Every one settled down on the trunk of the TSE-1. Before he began explaining, Grumbuskin said to the seven Jellicles "You are free to share the information with the rest of the tribe, but you must not tell them that I was ever here. And you must never share it with anyone outside of the tribe, or anyone you cannot trust. Is that understood?"

The seven Jellicles nodded. Then Grumbuskin began his explanation. He told them everything. He briefly enlightened them on his own background story, but most of his explanation had to do with Tumblebrutus. He told them about how he and the rest of the senior staff had met Tumble over a month ago, how Growltiger had seen his potential for an additional member of the _Demagogue_'s crew, and how Tumblebrutus had quickly risen in the ranks. He spent the most time explaining how he, Tumble, and the others had travelled to Hampton on Growltiger's orders. At that point, Coricopat, Tantomile, and Jemima contributed to the grey and black tabby's explanation.

The one thing they did not tell Munkustrap and the other three was that Growltiger was still alive. They specifically avoided mentioning that. Grumbuskin had subtly hinted that to the others during the conversation, and somehow, they managed to get the message.

"So, you see," Grumbuskin told the four adults, "Now that over half of our people are dead and our ship has been captured, my colleagues and I will have to go into hiding until we are strong enough to retaliate against the Siamese. However, I decided that Tumblebrutus should not be involved with us any longer. Life as an outcast is no thrill at all. Besides, I have reason to concern that your tribe could be involved in this matter if he continues working with us. And the last thing we want to do is involve innocent people in this mess."

"Really?" said Munkustrap, "Based on what we have heard of your Captain, Growltiger does not care who becomes involved in his affairs."

"You've been listening to rumors," Grumbuskin informed him, "Just a few hours earlier, when the Siamese assaulted the celebration at Hampton Court, they killed forty-two innocent cats just so they could try to kill off the members of our crew that attended the celebration. Our medical staff managed to save another sixty-three of those people, but at the cost of some of our own."

"What he says is true," remarked Coricopat.

"We were there," Tantomile added.

Before long, Munkustrap, Skimbleshanks, Jellylorum, and Asparagus were convinced that the assumptions they had made about Growltiger beforehand were incorrect. By then, Grumbuskin had finished the explanation.

He paused, and then looked around at the four adult Jellicles. He said to the four of them – primarily Asparagus and Jellylorum – somewhat in the form of a request "If you have no objections, I would like to remain here until Tumblebrutus regains consciousness. I believe that after all he has done, he at least deserves a final farewell from me."

The four of them agreed to this request. They actually felt that Grumbuskin deserved to say good-bye to Tumble.

"Also, I would like to ask that you not judge him, or go too hard on him," stated Grumbuskin, "I am certain that he will have enough pressure on his mind after all he has been through."

"That seems like a reasonable request," Asparagus stated, "But we will still take a few measures to ensure that he does not try to find you and your crewmates."

"Such as?" said Grumbuskin.

"We'll make sure he does not spend too much time out of the junkyard by himself, especially at night," said Jellylorum.

"We'll also see to it that he does not get a job until he has come of age," added Asparagus.

"Well, since you are his parents, I'm sure you would know much better than I do about discipline in this case," Grumbuskin commented.

There was silence for a long time. Grumbuskin could tell that Jellylorum, Asparagus, Munkustrap, and Skimbleshanks were astounded by his explanation, but they were very good at containing their shock.

"Aren't any of you especially shocked by what I have just said?" enquired Grumbuskin.

"Believe us, Grumbuskin, we are," Munkustrap assured him, "However, it's not the most shocking thing we have ever witnessed. The absolute most shocking thing would be the time when my brother abandoned the Jellicle Tribe, committed a string of murders, and turned to crime."

"I don't think even I could handle that much shock," Grumbuskin told the Jellicle Protector, "How do you cope with that?"

"It was not simple at first," stated Munkustrap, "But long ago, I managed to accept the fact that my own brother became the Hidden Paw."

Grumbuskin's eyelids shot open at that statement. "Macavity is your brother?"

"Regretfully, yes," Munkustrap replied.

"Tumblebrutus told us that he had once been a member of this tribe, but we had no idea he was related to the Protector," Grumbuskin stated.

"Well, now you know," said Skimbleshanks.

Soon, Coricopat, Tantomile, and Jemima decided to turn in for the night, as did Skimbleshanks. Munkustrap returned to sentry duty near the front of the junkyard. That left Grumbuskin alone with Jellylorum and Asparagus.

"The two of you should be proud of your son," the grey and black tabby told the couple, "He is very hardworking and responsible. Even though his time serving with us was brief, I can safely say that he is one of the finest individuals I have ever worked with."

"We are proud of him," Jellylorum told Grumbuskin, "We are pleased to know that he helped to contribute to something. However, we are not pleased that he lied to us in order to keep his job on your ship."

Grumbuskin shrugged and said "Think of it this way: Let's say when you were his age you had the opportunity to fulfill a life-long ambition. However, it involved working with someone rumored to be a coldblooded individual. Then after just meeting the person, you discover that the rumors are not so true and that this individual is at heart a kind person. But no one else would believe you if you told them this. What would you do?"

Asparagus and Jellylorum sat thinking about this for a moment, and then the latter answered "That would be a very strange scenario, but I suppose that under certain circumstances, I would probably lie a bit. But that would only be because of the factor of age. In any situation, I would eventually tell the truth."

"I would probably do the same," Asparagus admitted, "But only if I was as young as our son. And I do agree; that scenario seems almost implausible."

Grumbuskin sighed, saying "I suppose you're right."

…

Across town, Ralpharite was moving through the streets, seeking out unoccupied buildings. He kept going over the criteria for the ideal hideout in his head: _Abandoned, private, able to hold at least two dozen individuals_.

He searched several blocks, but not one building fit the desired specifications.

At one point, he managed to find a tall building that was entirely abandoned. When Ralph went inside, he found that the building's interior had a lot of cobwebs in it. That meant it had been abandoned long ago. However, there were a bunch of different platforms all along the first floor.

Ralph started rubbing his chin. He started forming an idea in his mind. The building itself could easily be refurbished, and it had more than enough room to house a few dozen cats. The cobwebs could be cleaned out as long as the building was given a thorough maintenance check. As for privacy – it was certainly private enough.

"Looks like we have a winner," Ralpharite whispered to himself.

He felt certain that Grumbuskin would be pleased with his findings. The red and white tabby was about to leave the building, but he suddenly heard voices approaching from outside.

Ralpharite quickly drew his sword and hid in the shadows. He waited and listened as the voices got closer and closer. He peered out through a window, and soon, the voices reached it. They belonged to a group of cats. However, they walked right past the building, much to Ralpharite's relief. But then he looked closer and saw the last thing he wanted to see that night: the cats were Siamese!

Since he had already finished the task Grumbuskin had given him, Ralpharite decided to follow the Siamese. He took off his equipment pack and set it on the floor of the building, making a note to come back for it later. In case the Siamese moved faster than him, he wanted as little weight as possible on his shoulders. But he still kept his sword attached to his belt.

Ralpharite quietly slipped out of the building and pursued the group of Siamese. To his surprise, they did not travel far. They only went one block and stopped at a seemingly abandoned warehouse.

Ralpharite stood at the corner of the street and watched as one of the Siamese knocked on the front door of the building. A moment later, the doors were opened and a few black cats let them in.

Ralpharite kept a close eye on the building. He watched out for any signs of activity. At one point, a light came on in a second-story window on the alley side of the warehouse. Ralpharite decided to investigate this.

He quietly made his way over to the warehouse's alley. There was no apparatus he could use to climb the walls, but he did not need any tools other than his claws to climb. Ralpharite was by far the best climber in the crew. That was one of the reasons why Growltiger had brought him along in the massacre of the Siamese outpost at Chelsea.

Ralpharite bared his claws and coordinated his position in front of the wall directly beneath the window. When he was properly focused, he started ascending upwards. About forty seconds later, he made it to the second-story window with the light emanating from it and looked inside.

There, he saw an astonishing sight.

The Siamese he had just followed were having a meeting with Macavity.

Ralpharite wondered to himself _How could the Siamese be working with __**him**__?_

Mungojerrie and Cyclops were sitting on either side of Macavity, just like before.

One of the Siamese units told the Hidden Paw "We would personally like to thank you for your help in these affairs. Had it not been for you, our allies would never have been so successful in attaining this victory."

Macavity scoffed and said "You should give the credit to my right-hand tom here, Mungojerrie. He headed the group that obtained the information from the _Demagogue_ and transmitted it to you."

Ralpharite's breah almost left him when Macavity uttered those words.

_I must have misheard him, _he thought to himself, _I have to be imagining this. Macavity's henchcats… played a role in our defeat?_

Ralpharite continued listening in on the conversation. Overtime, he became more and more consumed by shock.

…

Back at the Jellicle Tribe, Tumblebrutus had finally regained consciousness. He opened his eyes and sat up. He lightly moaned and rubbed the back of his head.

That was when he realized that he was not on board the _Demagogue_. Nor was he in the apartment at Hampton. He was in his bedroom.

He looked around and saw that he was alone. He removed the damp washcloth from his head and set it aside. After a few moments of silence, he faintly heard voices coming from the front room.

Tumblebrutus stood up and walked to the door of his room. He quietly opened it and looked outside. He looked down the short hallway and saw his parents talking with Grumbuskin in the front room.

Tumble did not know what to do at the moment. Should he go back in his room and try to get some sleep, or come face-to-face with his parents and Grumbuskin?

After a moment, he realized that either way, a confrontation with his parents was inevitable.

Tumble slowly walked down the hallway. He began to get a little nervous, but eventually put his nervousness to the side.

A minute later, Grumbuskin noticed the young white and brown tom approaching. He remarked "Hello, Tumble."

Tumblebrutus' parents turned in his direction and smiled at him. He was expecting the exact opposite of that. Tumble had figured that Grumbuskin had already told his parents everything, and yet they were smiling?

"Hi, Mom. Hi, Dad," he said quietly as he entered the front room.

The two of them gestured for him to come forward. He did, and they embraced him warmly.

"We're glad to have you home, Tumble," whispered Asparagus.

"I'm glad to **be **home, Dad," Tumblebrutus replied.

When they came apart, Tumblebrutus said "Well… I guess I'm sort of in really big trouble?"

"No, just semi-big trouble," replied Jellylorum, humoring her son, "Grumbuskin her has been telling us about all the heroic things you did on his ship."

"It wasn't **my **ship exactly," Grumbuskin corrected her, "It belonged to Growltiger, but I guess it still is technically part my ship. At least it was until the Siamese captured it."

"You mean we weren't able to destroy the ship?" Tumblebrutus queried, briefly returning to his "business" mode.

"Unfortunately, no," Grumbuskin replied, "The Siamese managed to destroy the self-destruct matrix. However, Placondgo and Dominev stayed behind to destroy the engines. They sacrificed themselves to ensure that the Siamese would not be able to operate the _Demagogue_."

"You mean Dominev and Placondgo are dead?" Tumblebrutus uttered.

"Yes, and so is Farios," responded Grumbuskin, "The three of them and fifty other members of the crew died tonight."

"Oh, no," whispered Tumblebrutus.

There was silence for a long time. Then Tumblebrutus asked Grumbuskin "So, what do we do now?"

Grumbuskin did not answer him straight away. Eventually, he said "The rest of the crew and I will be establishing two different outposts. One here, one in Hampton."

"Alright, so where do I tie in?" queried Tumble.

Again, there was silence. Grumbuskin finally answered him with "You will stay here and look after your family."

Tumble was astounded by that answer. "Sir, you cannot be serious. Please tell me you are joking."

Grumbuskin turned to Tumblebrutus' parents and said "Asparagus, Jellylorum, if you do not mind, I would prefer to have a moment alone with your son."

The two cats agreed. They stepped out of the room to give Grumbuskin and Tumblebrutus some time to talk amongst themselves.

Once they were alone, Grumbuskin said "Tumble, you are young. I do not expect you to understand, but you are going to have to. Every surviving member of the crew and I must go into exile. While you may not have a problem with that, you should now that becoming an exile is the thing that all pirates dread the most. To us, there is no greater dishonor than having your ship captured and your Captain forced to walk his own plank. Until our forces are great enough to strike back against the Siamese, we must go into hiding."

"I'm willing to help you out!" Tumblebrutus argued, "Growltiger was my Captain, too, Grumbuskin! I want to help avenge his death."

Grumbuskin looked around to make sure no one was listening, and then he leaned forward and whispered into Tumblebrutus' ear "The Captain is not really dead. He survived, thanks to a charm produced by your friends Coricopat and Tantomile. I cannot tell you how; just ask them about it later. All that matters is that the Captain is alive. Unfortunately, he's in a coma, but he's still alive."

Tumblebrutus felt a multitude of emotions run through his body. He felt cheerfulness, shock, amazement, and confusion all at once.

He looked up at Grumbuskin and said "Are you certain there is nothing I can do to help?"

Grumbuskin shook his head. Then he told Tumble "As much as I would love your help, Tumble, I'm afraid I must dismiss you from the crew. After all you've done, the least you deserve is an honorable discharge, and I want to give you that."

Tumblebrutus finally agreed. He wanted very much to continue serving on the crew, but if Grumbuskin was not going to bend on his position, he felt it to be pointless to argue. "Very well, Grumbs."

Grumbuskin took Tumblebrutus' sword out of his equipment pack and handed it to him. He told the young tom "When you come of age, you may have the option to come seek us out. But first, you must find us. That you will have to accomplish on your own. Until then, I want you to hold on to this sword, in case trouble ever comes your way until then."

Tumblebrutus nodded and held the sword in both hands. Next, Grumbuskin took out the neckband that had the bronze medal with the large letter "B" carved on it and handed it to Tumblebrutus. He told him "And take this medal, so that it may constantly remind you of just how much you contributed to the crew of the _Demagogue_."

Tumblebrutus held the sword and the medal in his paws, looking back and forth between the two of them. Then he set them down and embraced Grumbuskin. He whispered "I'll miss you, Grumbs."

Grumbuskin embraced him in return. He said quietly "I will miss you, too."

Jellylorum and Asparagus watched the interaction between the two of them from the hallway. They found it to be quite a touching moment between Tumblebrutus and his much older friend.

Finally, the two toms came apart. Grumbuskin gestured for Jellylorum and Asparagus to come back into the room. They did, and he shook paws with both of them. Grumbuskin then stood up, put his equipment pack over his shoulder, and went to the door of the den. He opened it and stepped outside.

Just before closing it, he turned back and said to Tumblebrutus in a somewhat authoritative voice "May the Everlasting Cat protect and watch over you and your tribe, Tumblebrutus, son of Asparagus."

With that, the grey and black tabby left.

…

Back at the warehouse, Macavity had just finished his meeting with the Siamese units. Ralpharite had overheard every word of it. A couple times, he had the urge to shout out in anger, but he managed to stay totally silent. He just remained at the window, listening to the conversation.

When they were finished, Ralpharite slowly climbed to the ground. He thought to himself _I've got to let Grumbuskin know about this_.

Just before he stepped out of the alley, he was grabbed from behind by a figure in the shadows.

The figure griped Ralpharite by the neck and forced him onto the ground. "Goin' somewhere, pal?" snarled the figure.

It was a black cat, obviously one of Macavity's henchcats. He had been on patrol in the alleyway when he had spotted Ralpharite up at the window.

Ralpharite kicked the henchcat off of him and got into a defensive stance. The henchcat sneered and lunged at him. The red and white tabby defended himself from a multitude of vicious blows. Pretty soon, he noticed a pattern in the henchcat's tactics. He decided to manipulate it.

At one point, he struck the henchcat behind the ear, punched him in the chest, and wrapped his left front leg around his neck. Then with one swift move, he broke the henchcat's neck.

The henchcat dropped to the ground, all signs of life quickly leaving his body.

After Ralpharite calmed down, he dragged the henchcat's body over to a dumpster and hid it there.

_I better get a move-on_, he thought as he scurried away from the warehouse as fast as possible.

…

Across town, Grumbuskin had gone to his house to meet up with his mate, Linnota. He wanted to see her after being away for so long.

Linnota's fur was very bright. In some ways, it was a distinct yellow hue. She was a little shorter than Grumbuskin, her eyes were emerald green, and she was nearing middle-aged. Grumbuskin, on the other hand, was well into his middle years, but he was still in fantastic physical condition.

Grumbuskin told his mate that he did not have a lot of time before he had to leave, so he had to keep their rendezvous short. She was alright with this.

"How did the mission go?" was one of the first questions she asked. Grumbuskin had told her about the mission itself beforehand; as he could trust her not to let anyone else know about it.

"Yes, we were able to find them," he replied, "However, a few problems came up."

After giving her a brief but descriptive explanation of the events at Hampton Court and the Molesey bay, Linnota was speechless.

"Fortunately, the Captain managed to survive," Grumbuskin told her, "He's in a coma, but he'll survive."

"Who will look after him?" enquired Linnota.

"Oh, Victor, Ralpharite, Najalim, and Quaftil, as well as the eight other crewmembers that will remain in Hampton with him," Grumbuskin responded, "Griddlebone and their three children will also look after him."

"That's good," said Linnota, "Who was looking after the children anyway?"

"A native of Hampton," Grumbuskin replied, "He was part of the network that Griddlebone and the Captain set up to locate their children. He seemed like a nice guy; his name was Roshedam."

When Linnota heard that name, she froze.

"What… what did you say his name was?" she asked, unsure if she had heard her mate correctly.

"Roshedam," he repeated, "He's a rich yet modest tom. It was rather easy to get along with him."

Linnota turned away and sat down in a chair. She looked as if she was trying to remember something.

"Is everything alright, sweetheart?" asked Grumbuskin.

She did answer him. After a minute of thinking, Linnota asked her mate "What color was this tom's fur?"

Grumbuskin thought back a moment before replying "I believe it was yellow with brown stripes. Then again, the stripes could have been light black or something similar. He had a light grey chest, too."

"And about how old was he?" she asked immediately after receiving this answer.

"I'd estimate that he was a young adult," replied Grumbuskin, "He appeared to be about ten months older than Dawlimer, Scurtena, and Bellazni. What's wrong, Linnota? Do you know this tom?"

Linnota hesitated for a moment. But then she slowly nodded her head.

Grumbuskin sat down next to his mate and said "Tell me how you know him. Please, I want to know."

Linnota was deeply feuding with herself. After another minute of silence, she decided to talk. She told her mate "Grumbuskin, I've been keeping a terrible secret from you for a long time. It's time you know the truth."

Grumbuskin listened closely. His mate told him "Do you remember – three years ago – when we were expecting a kitten?"

Grumbuskin nodded his head. "I was just thinking about it a few hours ago."

"Well, when you came home after being a prisoner of the Siamese, I lied to you," Linnota replied, "I didn't have a miscarriage."

Note: If I was right and you are thinking "WTF?", don't worry. This shall all be explained in the next chapter.


	45. An Astonishing Relationship

Note: I've looked over how much stuff I have left to cover in this fic, and I have decided to add on one more chapter. If I did not, this chapter would have been much too long. So this is officially the third to last chapter. The last two will be somewhat shorter than this one, though.

Ralpharite was at the Westminster docks. He had been there for over an hour, but every minute felt endless to him. He was pacing back and forth on the same spot, looking over his shoulder constantly. He kept one of his front paws on the hilt of his sword, ready to draw it from its sheath at the first sign of trouble.

Normally, he did not mind being alone. But on that night, he was very nervous that something completely unexpected would happen. After all, something of that sort had already happened several times that night.

A few minutes later, he could hear the sound of footsteps approaching the docks. He quickly moved off to the shadows and listened to them closely. With every step they got closer, Ralpharite became a little more nervous. He listened closely to the footsteps in an attempt to discern who was approaching.

Ralpharite was very good at idenfitying what type of cat was approaching him based on the audible force of the cat's footsteps. He was quickly able to determine that they did not belong to a Siamese cat; Siamese cats had deep, heavy footsteps. The footsteps nearing him belonged to someone much more attentive and stealthy.

Before the footsteps reached him, Ralpharite recognized them. They belonged to Grumbuskin.

Ralpharite stepped out of the shadows, looked in the direction of the footsteps, and sure enough, the black and silver tabby was approaching him.

"Sir, I'm over here!" Ralpharite called out.

The two toms met up with each other. Both of them were still in a bit of shock from something they had recently discovered.

"Sir, I'm afraid I must apprise you of some very unsettling news," Ralpharite told his commander.

"Oh, go right ahead, Ralph," stated the black and grey tabby, "I'm almost certain it cannot be much more shocking than what I learned from Linnota less than twenty minutes ago."

"I do not know what your mate told you, sir," remarked Ralpharite, "But believe me, I am equally certain that what I am about to tell you will shock you so much that it will make you put aside all the shock you currently feel."

"Well, then hit me with it," Grumbuskin ordered him.

"I learned how the Siamese were able to set up that assault for the _Demagogue _at Molesey," Ralpharite enlightened his commander, "There was indeed a spy on board the vessel, but he did not send information to the Siamese directly."

"What do you mean?" enquired Grumbuskin.

"I mean that the spy first sent the information to one source, and then that source transmitted the data to the Siamese," Ralpharite clarified, "As it turns out, this source just so happened to be… Macavity's hideout."

The color almost drained from Grumbuskin's face. He muttered in shock "You… mean… Macavity was conspiring with the Siamese against us this whole time?"

"Well, yes and no," answered Ralpharite, "You see, shortly after I found an ideal hideout for you and those of the crew that come here, a group of Siamese emissaries happened to pass by. I followed them to a building, and from a window, I managed to witness a meeting going on between them, Macavity, and his top henchcats. Based on that meeting, Macavity's henchcats were conducting the entire operation behind his back. But once he learned of it earlier tonight, he approved of it."

"Which henchcats played a role in this?" Grumbuskin asked, a note of anger building up in his voice.

"I paid careful attention to that, sir," Ralpharite grimly responded, "There appeared to be four of them: Cyclops, Flash, Sharpie, and even Mungojerrie, Macavity's second-in-command. In fact, it appears as though he was the one that first thought up the idea of plotting against us. Would you like to know the specifics of it all?"

Grumbuskin stood thinking for a moment, and then he responded "No, not now, Ralph. I want to wait until we return to Hampton so that we can discuss it with Najalim, Quaftil, and Victor. Right now, we need to concentrate on getting back there as soon as possible. But first, I want you to show me the building you selected as our hideout."

"Yes, sir," agreed the red and white tabby.

The two of them quickly departed the docks and went to the building Ralpharite had selected for the hideout. Grumbuskin studied it over for a while before declaring "It's not the most pleasant of living conditions, but a little reorganizing should fix everything up. Excellent choice, Ralph."

"Thank you, sir," said Ralpharite, "Do you know what this front room reminds me of?"

"What?"

"The pub at the Bell Inn. Only this place is dark, dusty, and abandoned. But I suppose that after it is refurbished, it could look like the pub itself."

"Ralph, that is actually a smart idea," stated Grumbuskin, "You know I have often spoken about opening my own bar someday; perhaps after this place is cleaned up, I could disguise the front of the hideout as a bar. The members of the crew that accompany me would be able to sleep and work in the backrooms, and at the same time, the front room would draw away any attention from the rest of the building."

"That is a brilliant strategy, sir," Ralpharite commented, "There is only one problem: Macavity's hideout is just a couple blocks down."

"That won't be a problem," said Grumbuskin, "I can take a few more precautions to ensure that Macavity will not compromise our business. In fact, I could save all the trouble by making this a private bar."

"Alright, I'll take your word for that," said Ralpharite.

After planning out a few more things, the two toms left the abandoned building and started making their way back to the London Waterloo Station.

When they arrived at the Waterloo Station, Ralpharite checked the schedule. The next train to leave for the Hampton Court railway station was scheduled to depart in approximately five minutes. The two toms managed to find an empty train car and waited for the train to leave.

Once the train was underway, the two toms got settled. Both of them had just witnessed a serious instance of profound astonishment, and it could only add to the tension that lingered from the deaths of their crewmates.

At one point, Ralpharite turned to Grumbuskin and stated "Sir, there is one thing I am curious to know about; you mentioned at the docks that Linnota told you something that you found to be extraordinarily shocking. What did she tell you that shocked you so?"

Grumbuskin hesitated for quite a while before he decided to answer this question. All he said to the Intelligence Officer was "I do not feel comfortable addressing it directly right here and right now, even though we're not out in the open. That is another thing that shall wait until we return to Hampton. However, I will give you two hints, Ralph. If you can figure it out by yourself, I'll explain it for you."

"Sounds fair to me," Ralpharite agreed.

Grumbuskin told his colleague "First hint: do you remember when Roshedam told us that Hampton has always been his home?"

"Yes, I do," replied the red and white tabby.

"As it turns out, while he may or may not have lived there most of his life, he was actually born here in London," Grumbuskin explicated.

"How do you know that?" asked Ralpharite.

"Linnota told me," Grumbuskin assured him, "I know you'll probably ask me how she knows, but please do not. I'll get to that. Just make a note that Roshedam was born in London."

"That would explain why his accent is a little discernable from the average resident of Hampton," commented Ralpharite, "I mean, his vernacular is spot-on with that of the residents', but his accent has a slight discrepancy. What is the other hint?"

Grumbuskin paused once more before he said "Second hint: Would you say that Roshedam is about ten months older than Dawlimer, Scurtena, and Bellazni?"

"Yes," replied Ralpharite after a moment of thinking.

"Well, my child would have been ten months older than them, as well," Grumbuskin stated, "Or rather, my child **is **ten months older than them."

"What do you mean by that?" enquired Ralpharite.

Grumbuskin looked Ralpharite straight in the eye and told him "I happened to mention Roshedam directly when I was talking with Linnota. She immediately started acting uneasy and asked me a few questions about him. Then she made a confession: she told me that she did not really lose the kitten in birth."

Ralpharite could tell that Grumbuskin was not going to tell him anything more, so he started putting together everything he had just been told. Realization quickly dawned on him. He turned to Grumbuskin and said quietly "Sir… are you saying that… Roshedam… is your… your… son?"

Grumbuskin only shrugged and replied "I don't know, Ralph. According to Linnota, he is."

Ralpharite needed a moment to take this in. Once he managed to grasp this concept, he stated "That would explain a few things, actually."

"Such as what?" inquired Grumbuskin.

"Sir, we stayed at Roshedam's flat for two whole days," Ralpharite explained, "There were certain things that I just happened to notice about him. For example, I noticed that his posture and his reflexes were similar to your own. I also noticed that his physical frame was shaped much like yours. At first I made nothing of these things and dismissed them as mere coincidence, but it would appear that a coincidence is implausible now."

"Don't be too certain of that, Ralph," said Grumbuskin, "First, I'll need to confirm it."

"How?"

"I'll think of something," Grumbuskin assured him, "For now, I wish to end this conversation."

Ralpharite agreed to this. The two toms sat in almost complete silence until the train arrived at the Hampton Court railway station. Once they were there, they made their way back to Hampton. Before long, they returned to Roshedam's apartment. The two of them climbed up the fire escape platform and they were soon directly in front of the third floor window.

Ralpharite tapped on the glass a few times and a moment later, Roshedam opened the window for them. He smirked and commented "Glad to have you back, gentlemen."

The two of them stepped inside. Grumbuskin felt a little awkward to see Roshedam again, what with knowing what Linnota had just told him about the young adult tom.

"Wait until you see your colleague Victor," Roshedam told him, "Najalim and Quaftil found something to replace his paw while you were gone."

Roshedam led the two toms out to the living room. Everyone was still there. Victor was talking with Najalim and Quaftil. He was in his chair, facing Grumbuskin, Ralpharite, and Roshedam as they walked in. However, he had both of his front legs behind his back.

He looked up and saw his commander and the Intelligence Officer walk in. He grinned, stood up, and walked closer to them. He asked them rhetorically "Notice anything different?"

The two toms looked him over. Nothing about him seemed new, but they still could not see his front legs.

Victor brought out his right front leg. It was completely the same as before. Nothing about it had changed. Then Victor brought out his left front leg.

Grumbuskin and Ralpharite were taken by surprise. A metal clamp had been surgically attached to Victor's wrist right where his paw had been severed. It covered his wound completely and held onto his wrist so tightly that it almost seemed to be a part of his body. The clamp was fitted with a large, metal hook.

"What do you think?" enquired the cream and brown tabby.

"Interesting," was all Ralpharite said. Grumbuskin was just speechless. After about a minute of silence, Grumbuskin thought aloud "A hook? Wherever did you get **that **idea?"

Najalim started to explain: "Back in the days when human pirates lost a leg or a hand, they were likely to replace them with pegs and hooks respectively. So, we figured 'why the hell can't we do the same thing?'"

"So we salvaged the hook and the clamp from another abandoned building down the street and performed a minor operation on Victor's arm," Quaftil took over the explanation, "It should serve him well."

Victor held up his left front leg and touched the clamp with his right front paw. He told Grumbuskin and Ralpharite "I may never be able to do a handspring again, but at least I'll still be able to use my left arm."

Ralpharite slowly nodded and stated "That is certainly fortunate."

Grumbuskin said "Indeed it is. I'm glad this managed to work out in your favor, Victor. However, we do not have time to discuss it. There are other things we must attend to."

He turned to Najalim and Quaftil and said "Because all of our data was stored in the _Demagogue_'s archives, I believe it would be wise for us to run a new medical test on each remaining member of crew. That way, we can determine who needs treatment, as well as create new archives. What equipment did you manage to salvage from the lifeboat and that sampan?"

"Not much, sir," replied Najalim, "We have some medical kits, some rations, some engineering tools, some surgical tools, and a few other things."

Grumbuskin rubbed his chin. He knew full well that this equipment would be inadequate to give each member of the crew a new medical test.

Then Ralpharite spoke up "Sir, what about the crates Vearhin gave us? We might find some more useful equipment in them."

Grumbuskin smirked at Ralpharite and gave him an approving nod. The two of them, along with Najalim and Quaftil went back outside, found the crates, and opened up one marked "Medical Supplies." They found the equipment needed to run a medical diagnosis and transported it back up to the third floor with the help of Roshedam.

Once everyone was back inside, Najalim and Quaftil set up the equipment in a room close to the living room. Once that was finished, they returned to the living room, where Grumbuskin faced the other nine cats and stated "I want everybody here to have a blood test. And I mean everybody. We just need one sample for the equipment in the other room to run a full diagnostic. Some of you may feel a little uneasy about the idea of having a blood test, but I assure you this is just to ensure your well-being. I feel that if you are all going to be here for a while that you should keep some record of your health."

Everyone agreed to this. Najalim and Quaftil used a set of sterilized syringes and test tubes to draw some blood from everybody, including themselves.

Grumbuskin whispered to Najalim an order to draw a little extra blood from Roshedam. The Science Officer did this without question.

Once they collected some blood from everybody, Grumbuskin, Ralpharite, Najalim, and Quaftil took the samples and retreated into the room with the equipment.

It only took the equipment about a minute each to run a complete diagnostic on the blood samples. Quaftil reported that everyone was in total health.

It was then that Grumbuskin asked the others to draw another sample of his blood from him for a reason he did not elaborate on. They did this again without questioning him.

Once this was accomplished, Grumbuskin had Najalim take the extra blood drawn from Roshedam and run a DNA test on it. Then, he had him do the same thing with his own blood.

Before long, both DNA tests were complete. Grumbuskin told Najalim "I want you to analyze the two tests and compare them."

"Of course, sir," agreed Najalim, "But whatever for?"

"I'll tell you when you are finished with your analysis," Grumbuskin assured him.

Najalim nodded. He went straight to work analyzing the two DNA tests. Overtime, he paid close attention to all the details.

Grumbuskin knew that DNA tests could take a very long time, so he decided to spend his time doing a little investigation.

He went back out to the living room and notified everybody that they were perfectly healthy. Then he requested to speak with Roshedam alone. The yellow and brown tabby complied with this request and escorted Grumbuskin to an empty room.

Once they were alone, Grumbuskin asked the young adult tom "Are you certain that you would be alright with the concept of involving yourself in our work?"

"Oh, absolutely," was Roshedam's response, "Growltiger's children have been my responsibility for several weeks. Just because they have been reunited – well, technically reunited – with their parents, that does not mean I will pull out of this."

Grumbuskin smiled at the younger tom and told him "I admire your persona, Roshedam. Most toms your age are more inclined to look out for themselves in this situation."

"You can somewhat thank my upbringing for that, sir," Roshedam remarked.

"Really?" said Grumbuskin, "How were you brought up?"

"It's a bit of a long story, but I'll tell you," Roshedam replied. He began to explain his backstory "I was taken in by a childless couple down in London. You see, I told you that Hampton has always been my home, but I was born in London."

Grumbuskin nodded in acknowledgement as Roshedam continued: "Anyway, you see, my foster parents first took me in while we shared a cage at an Animal Control center. I have no memory of that place, as I was only a few weeks old, but they vividly remember it. The two of them planned a prison break with several of the other cats, and went through with it. But they took me with them, because they believed that no one else would look after me."

"What happened after that?" queried Grumbuskin.

"They took me to their home in Hampton," Roshedam went on, "You see, as it turned out, they were just touring London at the time. Animal Control had interrupted their vacation. Conveniently, they were caught the same day as me; just about an hour earlier, in fact."

"Did they name you 'Roshedam?'" asked Grumbuskin.

"No, they just found out on their own that that was my name," answered the younger tom, "They told me that shortly after I was taken on board the Animal Control van, a bright yellow queen – presumably my mother – started chasing after the van, calling out 'Roshedam! Roshedam!' So my foster parents – who were just complete strangers at the time – quickly determined that that was – I mean, **is** – my name."

He paused for a moment, and then stated "I'm actually glad I don't remember that. I think it would have broken my heart to hear my mother in so much emotional pain."

"I understand how you feel," Grumbuskin assured him, "I lost everyone in my family except my father when I was just a kitten."

"I'm sorry to hear that, sir," said Roshedam sadly.

"There's no need for that, it was not your fault," Grumbuskin remarked. He next asked "What happened after your foster parents brought you here?"

"They raised me as their own," Roshedam continued, "My foster father taught me how to hunt, how to defend myself, and how to conduct business with others. My foster mother taught me how to manage my time, how to organize my priorities, and how to be a gentletom. Both of them died a long time ago – not at the same time, though – and so I've been fending for myself. However, I'd say that I've come a long way."

Grumbuskin concurred, saying "Indeed you have."

With that, the conversation ended. The two of them walked back out into the living room. Roshedam stayed there while Grumbuskin went back to the room that had all the science and medical equipment set up.

"The analysis is almost done, sir," reported Najalim.

Grumbuskin nodded and sat down. While waiting for the test to finish, he thought about everything Roshedam had just told him.

Five minutes later, the machine made a strange beeping sound, indicating that the analysis was complete. Najalim stared at the monitor in great interest.

"Sir, I think you should take a look at this," he said to Grumbuskin.

The black and silver tabby walked over to the Science Officer and said "Results?"

"Sir, this is quite peculiar," Najalim told him, "The machine produced some interesting indications regarding Roshedam's DNA. Based on this test, it would appear as though part of his DNA is a… subset of yours. That could only mean one of two things: He's a cousin of yours, or he's your... your…"

"Son?" Grumbuskin finished for him.

Najalim nodded, saying "Yes, sir. That's the only logical explanation."

Grumbuskin exhaled deeply and leaned against the wall of the room. He then said "That's because he is."

Najalim and Quaftil stared at Grumbuskin. Clearly, they were quite surprised.

"How can that be?" asked Quaftil, "He may share a few physical characteristics with you, but your fur and his fur look nothing alike."

"That is not enough to draw a conclusion," Ralpharite told the Medical Officer, "Grumbuskin was first apprised of this by his mate, Linnota. As both of you may know, Linnota has bright yellow fur. And she believes that she is Roshedam's mother."

"She is, Ralph," remarked Grumbuskin, "This DNA test confirms that I am Roshedam's father, and Linnota is the only queen I have ever had intercourse with."

"I see, sir," said Ralph. He turned back to Quaftil and continued "Anyway, as I was saying, there are not many cats with yellow fur around here or London. The yellow in Roshedam's fur would obviously be inherited from Linnota. You may have also noticed that Roshedam has a grey chest. This he would have inherited from Grumbuskin. As for the brown stripes, that is all a matter of genetics."

"Say, you're right, Ralph," Najalim stated, "It is possible for a cat to not inherit a color belonging to the fur of one of his parents, and it is equally possible for one of that cat's kittens to inherit the color instead."

"My mother was mostly grey, but her fur had brown patches," commented Grumbuskin, "Is it possible that I passed on her genes to Roshedam?"

"Absolutely, sir," Najalim confirmed, "His stripes may have demonstrated a bit of black when he was a newborn, but in any case, they would have faded into a brown hue."

"What other evidence do you have that Roshedam could be your son?" asked Quaftil.

"He just told me his backstory," Grumbuskin answered, "It closely matches the account of what Linnota told me. She said that our kitten had survived birth, and she had indeed named him 'Roshedam.' She and I never discussed names for the litter; I just left that up to her, you see. Anyway, one day when he was about three weeks old, she took him outside. She went into an alley to forge for food, but first she placed him at the entrance of the alley to protect him. By the time she returned, he was gone. She looked all around and spotted him in an Animal Control van. She ran after the van, calling out his name frequently. But soon, the van outran her and disappeared from her view."

"Wow, that is horrible," Quaftil muttered in disgust, "That Animal Control agent just took him away like that? That is downright harsh."

"Indeed," stated Najalim, "How could any creature – even a human being – be so cruel as to separate a kitten from its mother?"

"Humans have very peculiar motivations," Ralpharite remarked, "I'd say that at the time, that human did not seem to mind the concept of separating a kitten from his mother, as long as he got his job done. That is downright repulsive to me, the way these Animal Control workers see no ethical dilemma in their actions."

"You raise a good point, Ralph," Grumbuskin remarked, "It is hard to imagine such a horrendous thing taking place simply because one was doing one's job."

There was a bit of silence, and then Ralpharite asked Grumbuskin "Why did Linnota tell you that your child died during the birthing process?"

"She was afraid that if I knew the truth, I would beat her or something for being 'inexcusably negligent,' as she called it," Grumbuskin answered, "Why she ever thought that, I'll never know; I've never beaten her in my life, gentlemen. All the same, she could not anticipate how I would react to the truth, so she made up that story and went along with it until tonight. Now I finally understand why she was so hostile towards herself; she has been caring this guilt for a very long time."

"Very tragic, I must say," said Ralpharite. Najalim and Quaftil nodded in agreement.

"This is quite ironic, is it not?" commented Grumbuskin, "This whole time, the person watching over the Captain's children is really my son!"

"That is quite astonishing," Ralpharite concurred.

There was a little more silence. Soon, Najalim queried "Are you going to tell Roshedam about this?"

Grumbuskin stood thinking for a bit before answering "No, not just yet."

"Why not, sir?" asked Quaftil, "Don't you think Roshedam has a right to know?"

"Yes, he does," Grumbuskin nodded, "But all the same, as his father, I have a responsibility to keep him safe from danger. I can keep him safe by concealing the truth for him."

"For how long?" questioned Ralpharite.

Grumbuskin leaned against the wall, sighed deeply, and replied "I don't know, Ralph. Someday, I will tell Roshedam the truth. But for the present, I believe it would be wiser for him not to know."

"Sir, I must request that you think this over," Ralpharite insisted, "You have been searching for your own father for most of your life. Don't you believe that if you were in Roshedam's position, you would want more than anything to learn of his whereabouts?"

Grumbuskin realized that Ralpharite did indeed have a point. He said "I'll take that into consideration, Ralph. Sometime tomorrow, I plan to return to London with the members of the crew Victor did not choose to stay here. In the meantime, I'll decide if I should tell Roshedam about what we just discovered. But until then… I don't want any of you mentioning a word of this to anyone else. Is that understood?"

The Science Officer, the Medical Officer, and the Intelligence Officer all nodded vigorously.

"Thank you, gentlemen," said Grumbuskin, "I'm glad you understand."


	46. Consequences Of The Past

_**Happy Veterans' Day, everybody!**_

_**11/11/11**_

_**I'd like to dedicate this chapter to all the brave souls that have served in the army, navy, airforce, or marines at some point or other, including my father (He served a tour of duty as an engineer over in Vietnam during the Vietnam War).**_

Note: Sorry for the long wait. I've been busy with stuff. By the way, have you ever watched a movie that was so terrible that it almost made you stop thinking for a while? Last week, I watched "Alone in the Dark." That movie is **hilariously** bad. Then again, I should know better than to watch an Uwe Boll film by myself. On with the chapter!

By sunrise that morning, the word had been travelling along the river that Growltiger had been killed and his ship had been captured by the Siamese army.

There were mixed reactions to this news from Growltiger's allies. Several of the ally ship captains swore revenge against Genghis and his armada. Others planned to keep a low profile with their crews. The rest did nothing.

The civilian population along the river had a much different reaction. The grand majority of them were actually **celebrating **Growltiger's demise. This was so because almost every cat in the city of London feared him for his reputation, even though he and his crew had only really terrorized a handful of them.

At around ten o'clock that morning, the news of Growltiger's fall reached the Jellicle Tribe. The Jellicles would most likely have been celebrating, too. However, Tumblebrutus had decided to explain the Bravo Cat's life to the rest of the Tribe before that could happen.

Indeed, the news of how people were celebrating his Captain's downfall **disgusted **Tumblebrutus. He was amazed and shocked by how little most people really knew of the Bravo Cat. In order to avoid seeing the same reaction out of his tribe, he told them the truth about what he had been doing at night for the past five weeks.

About an hour after the news concerning Growltiger reached the junkyard, Tumblebrutus had everybody gather in the clearing. He stood on top of the TSE-1 with Coricopat, Tantomile, and Jemima while everybody else remained on the ground. There, he began his explanation.

Coricopat, Tantomile, and Jemima helped Tumble out at certain parts. However, they were careful to leave out certain details, such as Grumbuskin's presence at the junkyard from the previous night. They left this out simply because they did not want to blow Grumbs' cover. They also left out the fact that Growlitger was still alive; Grumbuskin had given the four of them explicit orders not to let anyone else know this secret.

Many members of the Tribe were particularly interested in Tumblebrutus' explanation. It was a lot of information for them to take in all at once, but they could tell that everything Tumble told them was the truth.

By the time Tumble was finished with his explanation, he had managed to impress just about everyone. A lot of his friends asked him if they could see his sword and his medal. He agreed to this after they nagged him about it for a while. However, even when he displayed those objects for his friends to see, he presented them in a modest manner. He did not want to exhibit them in a method that suggested he was vain. Several people – particularly his mother – thought this to be very mature of him.

Before long, Tumblebrutus was being considered as the second most popular tom in the tribe behind Rum Tum Tugger. Even though he was not used to having such attention focused on him, he was grateful for it.

He felt that working for Growltiger had somehow linked his modesty and maturity together. Five weeks earlier, he would have indulged himself in this sort of attention. Now he found that for the present, he just wanted to reflect on the events of the past month.

For this, he wanted to spend some time by himself. Or time alone with Jemima. To him, the latter was just as pleasant as the former, if not more so.

…

Back in Hampton, everyone staying at Roshedam's apartment was assembled in the living room once more. Ralpharite was in the process of explaining what he had seen at Macavity's warehouse the previous night.

"At first I didn't want to believe it," he told the others, "And then I realized it had to be true. We should have realized that Macavity was in league with the Siamese. I mean, who else has the means to send out a spy capable of hacking computers, sabotaging circuitry, and sending second-hand communiqués all without getting caught?"

"No one, that's who," responded Victor, "You're right, Ralph; only Macavity's agents are that resourceful."

Grumbuskin paced back and forth and muttered "This doesn't make any sense. What possible motivation could Macavity's henchcats have had to do such a thing? What could they possibly gain?"

"I managed to overhear that, too, sir," stated Ralpharite, "You know how Macavity has always had a desire for greater control? Well, it appears as though the whole reason why he sought Genghis out in the first place was so that he could spread his own hold over London. His henchcats made the decision to go ahead with it because – apparently – they share their Boss's lust for power."

"That makes sense," nodded Quafil, "However, Ralph, there is one thing you have yet to address: Who the hell is the mole?"

"That's a damn good question," remarked Najalim, "I'd like to know who's responsible for all this death and destruction."

"I wish I could tell you, but even I don't know," Ralpharite admitted, "During the meeting, the mole was brought up several times, but Macavity and his henchcats all specifically avoided using the his name. I can only assume that the Siamese are unaware of his identity as well."

"Well, did they mention anything of significance about this person?" asked Grumbuskin.

"No, only that he is one of Macavity's top agents," Ralpharite responded, "It seems as though this person is capable of manipulating the minds of others, and he's able to manage it without the worry of exposure. However, I did notice that a few times, when Macavity referred to the mole, he put an emphasis on the word 'he.' It was almost as if… he was trying to hint at the mole's identity. That could be the only rational solution, as the only other reason I can imagine is that he felt a need to stress the mole's gender. Of course, it would be ridiculous to think otherwise; the only female person on board the _Demagogue_ last night was-"

"Me," Griddlebone finished.

"Yes, exactly, milady," said Ralpharite, "But you were just a passenger. If I'm correct, you do not have any experience with the functions of a vessel's systems?"

"Correct, sir," Griddlebone lied, keeping a straight face.

"Well, the spy would have needed advanced skills in numerous fields in order to have operated as an information smuggler, a saboteur, and a correspondent," Ralpharite stated, "In fact, only a few members of the crew would have had the means to pull that off."

"Who do you know that could have managed all that?" asked Grumbuskin.

"Well, I admit I could have done it if I was careful enough," Ralpharite responded. He stood thinking for a moment before stating: "Off the top of my head, a few others would be Victor, Carbucketty, Bill Bailey, and Farios."

"Ralph, I know you didn't do it, seeing as how you were with me while the ship travelled to Molesey," Grumbuskin asserted, "The mole would have needed to have been on board the vessel at that time. I also know Victor could not have done it. Quaftil and Najalim told me that his blood test indicated that someone did indeed slip him a sedative. Aside from that, I'm certain that he would have gotten out of there as quickly as possible if he had been the mole."

"A wise assumption, sir," Victor remarked, "Believe me, if I was the mole – and I stress 'if' – I probably would have gone to lengths to ensure that no one suspected me, but losing my paw to convince others of that would be a bit over-the-top."

"That is true," Grumbuskin nodded. He stood thinking about the others on Ralpharite's brief list and said "Carbucketty, Bill Bailey, and Farios are all dead. I guess that rules out everyone. Unless, of course, you can think of anyone else who may have had the necessary skills, Ralph."

"There are a few others," Ralpharite replied, "But they're all dead, too. Several of the surviving members of the crew have some of the necessary skills, but none of them possess all of them."

There was a pause for a moment as everyone took this in. Grumbuskin then said "Ralph, based on everything you told me, it seems as if you were hanging at that window for how long? Fifteen minutes?"

"I'd say it was more like twenty, sir," Ralpharite politely corrected him.

"Weren't you worried about being spotted?" queried Grumbuskin.

"Oh, yes," Ralpharite answered, "And I was, unfortunately."

"You were?" asked Victor, a note of uneasiness in his voice.

"Yes, shortly after the meeting ended, I was about to leave the alley," Ralpharite clarified, "But then one of Macavity's henchcats came out of nowhere and attacked me from behind. I guess he was on patrol or something."

"What happened next?" questioned Grumbuskin.

"I was forced to kill him," Ralpharite told his commander, "I had to study his fighting style for a moment, but once I discovered a pattern, I caught him at a weak spot and broke his neck."

"Did you hide his body?" asked Grumbuskin.

"Yes, of course," Ralpharite replied, "I put it in a dumpster. I somewhat figured that after a little while in there, he would smell a little nicer."

A few of the others chuckled at that comment.

Grumbuskin sighed and leaned against the wall. He looked around at the others and announced "Based off of what Ralph has told me, it appears as though Genghis and Macavity are unaware that so many of us survived. In fact, as of right now, I would say that we're the only ones that know that Growltiger did not drown. We should use that to our advantage. The Captain's survival is now restricted knowledge; no one outside of the crew or in this room is to be made aware of it. Is that understood?"

Grumbuskin paused for a moment until everyone agreed to this statement. Then he began again: "In the past few hours, I put together a new plan. Right now, our primary objective is to kill Genghis at whatever the cost. If he dies, his reign dies with him. However, even with that being said, we must be cautious. If we become reckless or careless, it could result in disaster. And believe me, the last thing we need right now is a disaster."

"So, what do you suggest we do, sir?" asked Ralpharite.

"First of all, we will proceed with that arrangement we made yesterday," said Grumbuskin, "Victor, did you select the eight crewmen that will remain here in Hampton with you and everyone else in this room?"

"Yes, sir," Victor responded, "I took some time to look them over, and I selected these eight toms: Crewman Tarwick from the science department, Crewman Geilen from the security department, Crewmen Hosangis and Arthur from the engineering department, Crewman Elamof from the medical department, Crewmen Yves and Shamilt from the supplies department, and Crewman Menchul from the intelligence department."

"Excellent choices," commented Grumbuskin as he nodded in approval, "I'd say you've put together a fine list. Now then, we shall proceed with previous arrangements. Those eight will remain here with all of you; everybody else will go back to London with me tomorrow."

"Sir, I'm a little skeptical about that idea," stated Ralpharite, "Many members of the crew are still recovering physically and mentally from what happened at Hampton Court last night. If you want my advice, I think we should give them some time to recuperate before we throw them into this mess."

"They're already **in **this mess, Ralph," Grumbuskin remarked, "It is better for them to accept this situation sooner than later. Besides, I also have yet to fulfill the unfortunate duty of notifying the families of our deceased crewmates. That should be accomplished as soon as possible."

Ralpharite sighed and nodded regretfully. "If you say so, sir."

"However, sir, there is one thing we still need to discuss," Victor spoke up, "In this sort of scenario, I believe it is wise to keep both groups constantly apprised of what the other group knows. However, for the time being, we do not have any means of communication."

"Ah, that is a good point, Victor," Grumbuskin stated, "It would be wise for us to share any intelligence we gain overtime. We should resolve that issue as soon as possible."

"Well, I have a suggestion, sir," Ralpharite offered, "Perhaps someone in our company could function as a liaison and travel from here to our hideout in London and back. Sure, it may take a while to deliver news, but it has its advantages."

Grumbuskin stood thinking for a moment about this suggestion. Then he nodded in approval once more. "It's a good thing we have you on our side, Ralph. You seem to come up with some of the best strategies."

Ralpharite shrugged, saying "I do what I can, sir."

Grumbuskin looked around the room and asked "Any volunteers for the role of liaison?"

At first, no one spoke. Everybody was just waiting for somebody else to speak first. Then Ralpharite said "I'll be willing to take up the responsibility, sir. After all, it was my idea."

"I'm grateful for that, Ralph, but I must refuse your offer," Grumbuskin stated, "I need you here where your skills can be of the best use. The Siamese are widely hated in this vicinity, so Molesey will be an easier place for you to gather your intelligence from. Besides, there is a possibility that another of Macavity's henchcats saw you. If they were to recognize you, it would seriously compromise your safety."

Ralpharite slowly nodded and sat down in a chair. Grumbuskin looked around and said "Anybody else interested?"

After a short interval of silence, Griddlebone stated "I can do it."

The others turned to her, a few of them quite surprised by her offer.

"You?" said Grumbuskin.

Griddlebone gave a slight nod and told him "Think about this for a moment, Grumbuskin. I was never really a member of your crew; I was merely a passenger. Neither the Siamese nor Macavity will suspect me of being in cahoots with you as long as I cover my tracks well. Also, because I am of Persian descent, the Siamese will almost certainly deem me as merely a civilian; they just don't seem to suspect that any cats of foreign race would ever work against them."

Grumbuskin noted that Griddlebone did indeed raise a few good points. "Alright, Griddlebone. You've convinced me that you're capable. However, because you do not know the exact location of our hideout, I must ask that you come with me and the others whenever we depart. This way, you will be able to directly learn the routes to and from our hideout in London. After that, you can come right back here."

Griddlebone agreed.

However, unbeknownst to Grumbuskin, she had motives for volunteering other than delivering information between the hideouts in London and Hampton. Once she got to London, she planned to find Macavity and tell him about Grumbuskin's hideout. Then, the ginger cat would decide where to go from there.

A few months earlier, Griddlebone would have been satisfied just by knowing that she had been reunited with her children and that Growltiger had fallen. However, the time she had spent with Macavity had deeply influenced her ideals. By the time he had finished training her, she was almost as corrupt and ruthless as the Napoleon of crime himself.

However, unlike Macavity, no one knew of her wicked nature. She knew that if she was careful enough, she would still be able to use this to her advantage.

"Looks like we've got everything in order," Grumbuskin remarked.

There was a brief interval of silence. Then Dawlimer stepped forward and addressed Grumbuskin, "Sir, there is something I would like to discuss."

"How do you mean, Dawlimer?" enquired the black and grey tom.

"Sir, the letter that my mother sent to me," Dawlimer responded, "It mentioned something about how a pirate captain's firstborn son is the heir to his work. I've been thinking about that for hours. So I would like to submit a personal request to you."

"Name it," said Grumbuskin.

"Can you train me in your ways?" said Dawlimer, "I want to join your crew; I want to follow in my father's footsteps."

Grumbuskin and everyone else gazed at the young tom. Finally, Grumbuskin stated "Are you certain that is what you want? Your mother did make it clear that you are free to do what you want with your life."

"I know, sir," said Dawlimer, "This **is **what I want to do. Besides, given your crew's current condition, I believe you'll need all the help you can get."

"Indeed, we will," Grumbuskin concurred. He began looking Dawlimer over. The young half-Persian was strongly built, and he certainly had a sharp, logical mind. Ultimately, Grumbuskin replied "Very well, Dawlimer. However, because I am shortly returning to London, I myself will not be able to train you. Victor and the others can still manage this. That is, if they're up to it."

Grumbuskin paused and looked over at his fellow officers. The four of them nodded in approval.

"I would say there is only one item of business I have left to finish," Grumbuskin remarked. He slowly turned to the yellow and brown tom and told him "Roshedam, I would like to speak with you in private once more."

"About what, sir?" enquired the yellow and brown cat.

Grumbuskin did not reply. He just gestured for Roshedam to follow him to the room where the science and medical equipment was set up. Roshedam looked at the others, shrugged, and apprehensively followed the black and grey tom.

When they got to the room, Grumbuskin closed the door. Then they both sat down in two chairs in front of the DNA testing machine.

Grumbuskin breathed in and out a few times, mentally preparing himself for what he was about to do.

Finally he said "Roshedam, what I am about to tell you, I myself did not know until recently. It was not easy for me to come to the decision of letting you know it in return, but I believe that you have a right to know."

"Know what, sir?" asked Roshedam.

Grumbuskin did not answer. He just reached for his equipment pack, opened it up, and took out his box.

He held it in front of Roshedam and asked him "Do you know what this is?"

"A Victorian-era box, sir?" assumed the yellow and brown cat.

"Correct," Grumbuskin said, "But it is more than just a box. It is a family heirloom. My father gave it to me just before I came of age. Years before that, his father gave it to him. This box has been passed through my lineage for many generations. Until a few hours ago, I thought that I would be the last one in my family tree to possess this box. But early this morning, I learned that I was wrong. And do you know why I was wrong?"

"How, sir?" asked Roshedam.

"I knew I was wrong because I discovered that I have an heir," Grumbuskin clarified.

"Who?" asked Roshedam.

Grumbuskin paused and contemplated the best way to answer this question. He said "Roshedam, you remember nothing of your real parents, correct?"

"That is true, sir," said the yellow and brown cat.

"Take a look at these DNA tests," Grumbuskin gestured to the monitor in front of them, "While you do, I'll tell you about my own family."

Roshedam turned to the monitor and began examining its contents.

"Sir, whose DNA tests are these?" he asked.

"I'll tell you in a moment," Grumbuskin assured him, "Just study them while I talk."

Over the course of the next minute, Roshedam examined the two DNA tests on the screen and discovered multiple similarities between the two. During that minute, Grumbuskin told the tom about his family.

By the time Roshedam had concluded that one DNA test was a subset of the other, Grumbuskin had finished telling him about Linnota.

"Linnota told me herself that our child had actually survived," he said, "By this point in time, he would be a young adult tom with a distinct yellow and brown-striped coat."

Roshedam's heart practically skipped a beat. Every so slowly, he turned back to face Grumbuskin.

He did not know how to respond to that statement. So he just said "Sir… are these DNA tests… yours and my own?"

Grumbuskin nodded. Then he held out the box, saying "You are my heir."

Roshedam sat in stunned silence. Long ago, he had almost given up hope of ever meeting his real parents. But to discover that his father had been staying with him for the past three days without either of them being aware of their relationship… that was beyond shocking.

"I know you're astonished, but look at all this evidence," stated Grumbuskin, "The DNA tests, the timing, the locations, our appearances… everything adds up. You are my son, Roshedam."

After another minute, Roshedam finally accepted this as a fact. He was still very much shocked, but when he saw this matter from Grumbuskin's point of view, it all made sense to him.

Roshedam carefully took the box in his paws and said "Thank you… Father."

Grumbuskin smirked and embraced his long-lost son. Roshedam slowly returned the embrace. He was amazed and ecstatic at the same time.

When they came apart, Grumbuskin said "I'm certain you have many questions for me. Believe me, I have just as many for you. However, I am afraid we have little time to talk. I must prepare my men for departure."

"Must you leave so soon?" Roshedam protested, "I mean, you and I only just discovered that we are related. We should not part ways so hastily."

"I know how you feel, Roshedam," said Grumbuskin, "I'd give anything to remain here with you. But the more we get to know each other, the harder it will be to say good-bye."

"Father, I-" Roshedam began.

"Please, do not even call me that," Grumbuskin interrupted, "Referring to me that way will only make my departure even harder. Roshedam, your place is here. You said yourself that Hampton has always been your home."

"That is true, sir," said the yellow and brown tom, "But this could be the last time we ever see each other."

"I promise you that it will not be," said Grumbuskin, "When it is safe for us to come out of hiding, I will return here. Then you and I can go spend more time around each other. If you like, we could even go back to London and visit your mother."

The two of them debated this issue for a long time.

Ultimately, Grumbuskin won. Roshedam was extremely reluctant to admit defeat, but he finally accepted that he could not win this argument, no matter how hard he tried.

"If you believe my place is here, I will stay," he told his father, "But I want you to promise me that we'll meet again."

Grumbuskin nodded, "We shall. However, you should know that the only other ones who know this are Quaftil, Najalim, and Ralpharite. I must insist that you talk to no one other than them about this."

Roshedam agreed. He looked down at the box, and then looked back up at the grey and black tabby. He told him "I must thank you for this box. To me, it is both an heirloom… and a gift."

Grumbuskin nodded. "I want you to take good care of it. Treat it with respect and dignity. And above all, promise me that someday you too will have an heir."

Roshedam smiled and said in a business-like tone "Yes, sir."

The next day, Grumbuskin rounded up the crew and divided them into two groups: those that were staying in Hampton, and those that were returning to London. The eight in the first group moved into the second floor in Roshedam's apartment. The rest of them prepared to leave. Griddlebone was in this group.

Grumbuskin and Roshedam tearfully said good-bye in private, and then the former of them left with his company.

…

A few hours later, Grumbuskin and his company arrived at the London Waterloo Train station. They made their way to the middle of the city where they found the abandoned building. Once everything was in order, Growltiger gave Griddlebone clearance to leave without an escort.

Right after Griddlebone left, she made her way to Macavity's hideout. Conveniently, it was only a block away.

She took a secret passage through the side of the building and made her way to the ginger cat's room in silence. At that time, he was alone with his bodyguard.

He was surprised to encounter Griddlebone when she came along, but became more interested than surprised after what he learned from her.

Griddlebone had anticipated that Macavity would put together a task force and attack Grumbuskin's hideout. Instead, Macavity chose to ignore it for the time being. This was his reasoning:

"Should it ever come to the point where Genghis himself shows up here, we'll have the perfect opportunity to eliminate him. However, we'll need someone else to kill him. If we do it ourselves, the Siamese will turn against us. But if you can somehow tip off Grumbuskin about Genghis' presence, he may try to kill him himself. If that were to succeed, we will be able to seize control of the Siamese army. Then our forces would be more powerful than ever before."

"That is brilliant, Mac," Griddlebone smiled wickedly.

The Mystery Cat smirked just as wickedly and nodded. He looked Griddlebone over; she was just as beautiful as ever to him.

"You must have been through an ordeal for these past few days," he stated, "Perhaps you have time to get some rest here?"

Griddlebone knew where he was going. She said in a tone of mock-surprise "You naughty tom! I'm a mated queen!"

Macavity smirked and looked down at her, saying "When has that ever stopped you before?"

Griddlebone purred and said "Considering my mate's current condition, there's no real dilemma involved. Who am I kidding? I'd be delighted to get some rest here."

Macavity gestured to his bed in the side of the room. She gracefully approached it as he followed her close behind.

…

Over the course of the next few weeks, many different things happened to different individuals.

Grumbuskin and his crewmates managed to disguise their hideout as a private bar. They called it _The Catnip Corner_, even though they did not do dealings with catnip.

Grumbuskin made himself the head bartender, as well as the manager. As the manager of that establishment, he made sure that the only people who were allowed in were cats who still sympathized with the crew of the _Demagogue_.

Grumbuskin was determined to keep his crew safe, as well as secretly gain support for the crew. However, his main objective was to kill Genghis. He almost became obsessed with that idea, but kept his vision straight.

…

A few weeks after the attack on the _Demagogue_, Dawlimer, Scurtena, and Bellazni came of age.

In Hampton, Ralpharite, Victor, Najalim, and Quaftil expertly trained Dawlimer in the ways of a pirate. Bellazni and her mother spent a lot of time together fishing, just as they did in London. They managed to keep their company well-supplied with food.

A week after coming of age, Scurtena confessed to Roshedam that she loved him.

Truthfully, he was not too surprised to discover this, as she had made various hints to him ever since they first met. For example, whenever he returned home, she would always be the one to let him inside, which suggested that she was eager to see him again. She also always smiled warmly at him whenever he returned.

Roshedam had been somewhat attracted to her as well, but while she was still a kitten, he would not even dare to lay a paw on her. Now that she was an adult, he could properly reciprocate her feelings.

The two of them spent a lot more time together after that. Soon, they knew it was meant to be. When that happened, Scurtena went to her mother and asked her for permission to become Roshedam's mate. Griddlebone granted this request happily, as she was certain her daughter was making the right choice. Griddlebone even performed the ceremony herself.

The day after Scurtena and Roshedam became mates, Roshedam took some time to look over the box Grumbuskin had left him. He whispered to the box "I guess it's only a matter of time before I give you to my own heir."

…

Despite the success of the bar and the activities in Hampton, not all turned out well.

A week after the _Demagogue _had been captured, Genghis sent Mouveilyr to take thirteen of his best soldiers to Macavity.

When Macavity saw these thirteen soldiers, he was impressed. The first dozen were experts in several different fields: thievery, assassination, smuggling, just to name a few.

But the last one was definitely the best of the group. This was a tom that never spoke. No one even knew his name, so they just referred to him as "Silent Danger."

Mouveilyr continually emphasized how Silent Danger was the deadliest cat that had ever served in the Siamese army. To prove it, they brought out a tom they had taken prisoner. The prisoner happened to be the member of the _Demagogue_'s crew that had disappeared after pursuing the Siamese at the massacre at Hampton Court.

Mouveilyr walked over to the prisoner and pointed out Silent Danger. He stated "Do you see that tom?"

The prisoner nodded, saying "Yes."

"If you can defeat that tom in a fight, we will release you," Mouveilyr told him, "You can take my word on that."

"Fucking Siamese," the prisoner whispered under his breath. He looked over at Macavity and shouted "Fuck you, too! You will regret you ever became involved with this scum!"

Macavity just chuckled and said "I've never regretted anything."

Everybody backed up a bit so that the prisoner and Silent Danger had room to fight. The two of them faced each other off for about a minute. Then the prisoner made the first movie. He lunged at Silent Danger, slashing his claws at his throat.

Just a few seconds later, the quiet Siamese soldier had forced the prisoner onto his back. Then he took his own tail and wrapped it around his neck.

The prisoner struggled, attempting to resist, but Silent Danger held on tightly.

About thirty seconds later, the prisoner was dead. Silent Danger had successfully strangled him to death.

"Impressive," commented Macavity, "I shall make him a top agent."

Sure enough, from that day on, Silent Danger went in the crowd with Mungojerrie, Cyclops, Sharpie, and Flash.

Eventually, they found the body of the henchcat Ralpharite had killed, and a few of the new Siamese henchcats identified the method that had been used to kill him - breaking his neck so sharply and straightly while paralyzing his vocal chords - as a tactic used by all members of the _Demagogue_'s crew. The Siamese became more alert when they discovered this, but Macavity still kept Grumbuskin's hideout a secret from everyone. At one point, he did enlighten Mungojerrie, Cyclops, Sharpie, and Flash, but no one else. He wanted as few people as possible to be aware of this subject.

…

Even worse things were happening along the river. Just as Grumbuskin had predicted, most of Growltiger's allies joined the Siamese fleet. There were some who resisted, but many of them fell quickly.

Captain Janderif had sworn to resist the Siamese forever, but then his crew mutinied, executed him, and defected to the Siamese.

Captain Iramix – after admitting that resisting the Siamese fleet was useless – committed suicide by swallowing tablets of pure cyanide. His crew later joined the Siamese as well.

Captain Yalmoc still had his crew's support and they launched a direct assault on the Siamese. Every last member of that ship's crew died in that assault while taking few of the Siamese with them.

Captain Majibetus had arguably the worst fate of the four. The day after Growltiger's defeat, out of cowardice, greed, and treachery, he had his crew join the Siamese immediately. He had been Growltiger's friend ever since their days in the navy, as they had both served on the HMS _Ptarmigan_. But to turn away from him so abruptly was betrayal in the worst form.

There were still others who resisted the Siamese, but Macavity aided the foreign cats in dealing with these individuals. He had his top assassins seek out and murder the families of all the sailors who stood against the Siamese. That succeeded in destroying the dissenters' moral support. After that, the Siamese quickly eliminated their few remaining adversaries.

Just two months after the attack on the _Demagogue_, the Siamese had taken complete control of the Thames River. Anyone who still stood against them was wise enough to keep their ships out of the water and go into hiding.

…

Despite all of this, Tumblebrutus was determined to make sure that everyone knew the truth about Growltiger. He wanted London to know that Growltiger was actually much more civilized than they took him for. But he could not figure out how to manage this.

Then he remembered a sentence he had said to Growltiger a few weeks earlier: _"Sir, what if we took the tale of __**your **__life story and transformed it into a musical?"_

"That's it!" he said to himself.

Now he knew what he needed to do. Without further ado, he sauntered over to the den of his grandfather, Gus the Theatre Cat.


	47. The Start Of A New Day

Note: Well, here it is at long last! The final chapter! Ironic how this is Chapter 47 and 47 is the number used most often in Star Trek (which is what I did the most fanfiction about before I became interested in writing fanfiction about CATS). After a mere six months and eight days (yeesh), I'm finally finished! You know something strange? Originally, I intended for this fanfic to be short, like only about fifteen chapters long. But based on its word count, as of right now, at slightly over 170,000 words, this is actually the longest CATS fanfic that has ever been posted on this site! It surpassed the last holder of that title: "Macavity's Carom" by SummerRose12 at slightly over 160,000 words (Sorry, Gabby!). By the way, you may have noticed that I've changed my profile picture. That's a picture of myself. As you can see (well, you can probably see if you enlarge it), I'm trying to grow a moustache. I'd say it's developing very nicely so far. What do you think? If you have any thoughts, just add them to your review.

Second Note: In the first chapter of this story, I happened to mention that this entire fanfic takes place in-between chapters 1 and 2 of another of my CATS fanfics, "Choices" (Except for Chapter 23 and the first two-thirds of Chapter 40). If you've read "Choices," you should know that the events of Chapters 2-19 happened between the previous chapter and this one. Oh, and if you're at all pissed off at Mungojerrie for playing a role in Growltiger's fall, don't worry; he redeems himself in "Choices." Also, the events of chapters 20-24 mostly happen alongside this chapter. However, about a quarter into this chapter, it will go into another flashback, but then return to the present. (If you have no freaking idea what I just said, I don't blame you. But don't worry; it won't be too hard to follow along).

Third Note (This is the last one, I promise!): Grumbuskin, almost all of my OC characters, and the other members of the crew won't be mentioned in this chapter, but this is not the last time you'll hear from them. I'll explain all of that at the end of the chapter. Now, here we go!

Months later, the next Jellicle Ball finally arrived.

Many things had happened in the past few months. One of the most significant changes was that the tribe had gained a new member: Mungojerrie.

Mungojerrie had become a prominent member of the Jellicle Tribe, in fact. He helped them maintain their resources, organized security, demonstrated courtesy towards everyone, and even became the mate of Jemima's older sister, Rumpleteazer. Over time, the two of them became known as "the Notorious Couple of Cats."

Mungojerrie's contract with Macavity had been terminated one night when he had defied Macavity's orders directly. Rumpleteazer had inadvertently stumbled onto his hideout, and the ginger cat had ordered Mungo to kill her. Not only did Mungo refuse, but he helped Rumple escape. Subsequently his Boss delivered a vicious punishment onto the calico tom, brutally beating him and throwing him out of a third-story window.

Fortunately, Rumpleteazer managed to save Mungo in return and take him back to the Jellicle Tribe. Even though everyone was suspicious of him at first, everyone came to trust him in time. Rumpleteazer was the first to trust him before anyone else.

Tumblebrutus found it that the two of them made an interesting couple. If someone who had never seen them before got a good look at them, they probably would have assumed that the Notorious cats were siblings. After all, they were both tiger-striped, they both spoke with cockney accents, and they both had a talent for snatching things that did not belong to them. But everyone with any common sense knew that the two of them were mates and not siblings.

(Note: The last four paragraphs are all bits taken from the first few chapters of "Choices.")

In the present day, it was time to celebrate the Jellicle Tribe's most sacred of traditions. Every member of the Tribe was determined to make this Jellicle Ball worthy of remembrance.

Indeed it would be, especially for Tumblebrutus. About an hour before the ball began, he talked with his brother Pouncival.

"Pounce, I'm going to do it," the white and brown tom told his slightly younger brother, "I'm really going to do it."

"Tumble, calm down," chuckled the grey, brown, and white tom, "What are you going to do?"

"I'm going to ask Jemima to be my mate," Tumblebrutus replied, "As soon as the last song is over, I'm going to do it. I know that her parents and my parents are alright with it; I asked them myself. So then all we'd have to do is get Old Deuteronomy to perform the ceremony. That will be very simple."

Pouncival patted his brother on the back and said "I hope you know what you're doing, Tumble."

Tumblebrutus glared at his brother, almost demanding "What does that mean? Are you implying there is something wrong with Jemima?"

"No, of course not," replied the grey, brown, and white tom, "I think I should rephrase that; what I meant to say is that I hope you two are happy together. I want you to be happy, Tumble."

"Really?" remarked Tumble.

"Yes, really!" said Pouncival, "You're my freaking brother! I want you to be happy."

Tumblebrutus nodded, saying "I am, Pounce, I already am. But in about twelve hours, I'll be even happier."

...

At exactly ten o'clock that night, the Jellicle Ball began.

The opening song was the same as always - "Jellicle Songs for Jellicle Cats." Most members of the tribe had a solo line in the first part of this song. However, Tumble noted that everybody was just showing up in the clearing and singing their lines without doing any interesting moves. He wanted to sing his solo with a little more style. So right after Quaxo sang his line, Tumble jumped forward and did a handspring and a somersault as he sang "Have you been an alumnus of heaven and hell?"

He noticed that he sang that line in a rather deep voice. Usually, his voice was a little higher. But he did not mind.

What **really **got everybody's attention was that Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer sang their next lines without their accents.

After that song, the Jellicle Ball went by pretty smoothly. It wasn't until after Rum Tum Tugger's song when they started deviating from the schedule.

That was when an elderly queen appeared in the junkyard. Her coat was torn, stained with sand, and she appeared to have suffered a great deal of physical abuse.

Tumblebrutus noted that the queen seemed to be in pain. He and Quaxo started to approach her. Quaxo reached her first, but he was stopped by Munkustrap. The Jellicle Protector kept back the tuxedo tom and gave the elderly queen an icy glare.

Jemima approached the queen next, but Skimbleshanks stopped her, too.

When Tumblebrutus tried to approach the queen, Jellylorum held him back.

After about a minute of this routine, the queen started singing. Then Demeter started singing about the queen.

Near the end, the gold and black queen mentioned the elderly queen's name: "Grizabella the Glamour Cat."

Tumblebrutus recognized that name anywhere. Not only was this queen a former star in the world of cats, but she was once a member of the Jellicle Tribe.

She had actually been Old Deuteronomy's mate and the mother of all three of his sons: Munkustrap, Rum Tum Tugger, and Macavity.

Then one day, she left the tribe to fulfill her lifelong desire for adventure. Most of the adults turned their backs on her after that; Demeter was one of the few exceptions. She still felt that Grizabella deserved the aid, but even she was somewhat disturbed by the elderly queen's appearance.

After Grizabella left, Bustopher Jones had his own song. Then the Ball had another deviation: Macavity showed up. He did not actually appear in the clearing, but everyone knew he was there, thanks to Demeter. She had... unpleasant history with him, and she could sense him whenever he was close by. Everyone quickly hid in the junk when she called out "Macavity!"

Fortunately, it turned out to be a false alarm. However, Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer had snuck out just before Grizabella's song, and they had returned from a heist. After the two of them sang their own song, the rest of the Jellicles returned to the clearing.

That was when Old Deuteronomy showed up. After his song, Munkustrap had everybody put together a skit of a famous event known as "The Awefull Battle of the Pekes and the Pollicles."

The skit was a disaster. The timing was terrible, the actions were lousy, and only Munkustrap seemed to care an inkling. During a part where are the toms were supposed to be Pollicles on a march, Tumble had accidentally marched the wrong way. Alonzo had to knock him on the head to make him realize this error.

The one-plus side was that the actual Rumpus Cat had agreed to show up. Admetus had claimed that he had sought the cat superhero out personally for this. However, for some reason, Admetus did not return to the clearing after he had gone to notify the Rumpus Cat.

After the skit, Macavity made another appearance. When Demeter shouted "Macavity!" again, this time everyone else saw him for a moment.

Once the tension calmed down, the all-dancing session of the Jellicle Ball began.

Halfway through it came the part that Tumblebrutus was looking forward to the most. That was the Mating Dance sequence.

Tumblebrutus had asked Jemima to be his partner many weeks in advance. Of course, she had not even considered the idea of doing it with anyone else; she felt that Tumble was the only tom for her.

After the first-half of the all dancing session was over, everybody slowly lowered themselves to the ground. Then they watched as Victoria performed the full Mating Dance with... Plato.

Originally, Victoria had arranged to perform the dance with Quaxo, but some "problems" had arisen between the two of them, as had some problems between Plato and his queenfriend Electra. Subsequently, the two pairs switched partners for the night.

That mattered little to most the Tribe, least of all to Jemima and Tumblebrutus. During the Mating Dance, they kept their attention focused exclusively on each other.

After Victoria and Plato began the mating dance, Tumble and Jemima cuddled up next to each other and nuzzled affectionately. They took a moment to study each other, and became enraptured by the sight of each other.

The two of them became progressively more sexually excited with every passing second, as they became more and more intimate.

The two of them entered a state of arousal without any foreplay whatsoever. Finally, they gave in to their desires.

That marked the night the two lost their innocence to each other.

After the mating dance, everybody typically slept for a while. Once the rest of the Jellicles were... "finished," as well, they all lied down on the ground and fell asleep.

When everybody woke up a few hours later, Grizabella returned. After Alonzo chased her away, the second-half of the all-dancing session of the Ball began. This half was even more vigorous than the first half.

At the end of it, Grizabella came back a third time, and everyone left the clearing except her and Old Deuteronomy.

...

When the second half of the Jellicle Ball began, everybody gradually returned to the clearing. Grizabella had left again, and Old Deuteronomy had barely moved. Tumblebrutus lay down on the left side of it. From there, he saw that on the other side of the clearing, Jellylorum and Skimbleshanks were helping Gus outside. Jennyanydots brought out a paint can for the elderly tom to sit down on.

Skimble and Jenny found seats on the ground while Jellylorum sat on the ground by Gus' side.

Gus happened to gaze over at Tumblebrutus, and he smiled at his grandson. Tumble returned the smile.

Gus was the only member of the Tribe older than Old Deuteronomy, yet he still had not had a song sung about him at the Jellicle Tribe before. However, that night, he would finally get one.

First, Old Deuteronomy was going to present the rest of the Jellicles with another philosophical lesson.

Once everyone was settled, their elderly patriarch began to chant:

"The moments of happiness...

We've had the experience, but missed the meaning.

And approach to the meaning... restores the experience

In a different form..."

Tumblebrutus wondered what these words meant. Old Deuteronomy sometimes had a habit of being a little too vague in his preaches.

Nevertheless, he continued speaking:

"Beyond any meaning

We can assign to happiness.

The past experience revived in the meaning

Is not the experience of one life only,

But of many generations."

Old Deuteronomy paused for a moment and then finished with:

"Not forgetting... something that is probably quite ineffable."

Everybody thought about this lesson. They were very uncertain as to what its meaning was, as it could have been interpreted in several different ways.

Just then, Tumblebrutus noticed Coricopat, Tantomile, and Jemima - the three same members of the Tribe that had accompanied him to Hampton - were all sitting close to each other in the center. Coricopat lowered himself towards the ground on his knees and raised his right arm in the air behind him. Tantomile held her brother's right paw in her left paw, and then she sat up and held out her right hand to Jemima. Jemima slowly took Tantomile's paw in hers, and stood up on her hind legs. Then, she sang in her harmonious voice:

"Moonlight...

Turn your face to the moonlight.

Let your memory lead you,

Open up; enter in.

If you find there, the meaning of what happiness is,

Then a new life will begin."

Tumblebrutus was awed by Jemima's words, as well as her tone. He knew that she had a beautiful singing voice, but he had no idea it was so... beatific. It was as if an angel was singing in the form of his queenfriend.

Suddenly, Tumble - along with everyone else - understood what this philosophy's hidden message was all about.

Tumblebrutus liked Jemima's interpretation of Old Deuteronomy's lesson. He repeated it with everyone else, including Gus:

"Moonlight...

Turn your face to the moonlight.

Let your memory lead you,

Open up; enter in.

If you find there, the meaning of what happiness is,

Then a new life will begin."

After taking a moment to reflect on these words, everyone rose to their hind feet, including Gus.

Gus struggled to move to the direct center of the clearing. Walking on his hind feet was a difficult skill for an elderly cat such as himself to master.

Old Deuteronomy got up off his tire and went to help Gus. Everybody else went to sit on the piles of junk in the back of the clearing.

Once Gus was comfortably settled on his paint can once again, Munkustrap helped Old Detueronomy back up onto the tire.

Then, Jellylorum stood by Gus' side and began singing his song.

It was a very touching song, in Tumblebrutus' mind. It discussed Gus' prolific career, his numerous accomplishments, and all he had contributed to the theatre itself. He was arguably the most successful person in the tribe.

But to Tumble, the absolute best part of the song was near the end of the song. At that part, Gus stood up, walked to the front of the clearing, and sang:

"I once crossed the stage... on the telegraph wire

To rescue a child when... a house was on fire.

And I think... I can still... much better than most

Produce... bloodcurdling noises -" then he made a retching sound (an attempt to make a "bloodcurdling noise") - "to bring on the ghost."

Then he sang what Tumble regarded as the single best verse in the song:

"And I once played Growltiger... could do it again..."

That made Tumblebrutus smirk. It reminded him of what he and his grandfather had accomplished several months earlier.

"Could do it again..."

How that brought back the memories.

"_Could do it agaaaaaaaain..."_

... (Flashback to the end of the last chapter)

Tumblebrutus had told his grandfather all about his idea to make a musical out of Growltiger's life. Gus seemed to become interested in the idea almost immediately, as his grandson had enough detail about the Bravo Cat to write three plays.

After Gus discussed the idea with his theatre troupe, they concurred that it would be a decent idea, as well.

Over the course of the next few weeks, Tumblebrutus and Gus worked tirelessly on this new project. Both of them took it very seriously. In fact, Gus was determined to make this play his masterpiece.

Tumblebrutus wanted to include as much detail as possible, but he also factored in the possibility that a Siamese or other foreign cat would see the musical, so he did not include any information that would compromise the cover of the surviving members of the _Demagogue_'s crew.

When Tumble and Gus started putting up flyers for the upcoming musical, it caught the attention of many cats. As soon as they set up the estimated date of the show's opening, a great many cats in the city started booking their tickets.

At one point, Ralpharite sent them a secret one-way telegram, telling them what they should include and should not include in the play. He even told them about how Victor's missing paw had been replaced with a hook.

After writing out the musical numbers, Gus had his orchestra compose a musical score. He was given very satisfying results.

Tumble had managed to convince the other Jellicles to perform in the very first rendition of the play, and they would each play the role that best suited their personalities.

Naturally, Tumblebrutus was cast as himself, Jemima was cast as herself, and Coricopat and Tantomile were cast as themselves.

Everybody else was cast as another person. Tumblebrutus and Gus decided to cast Munkustrap as Grumbuskin (They looked very much alike and they were strong, authoritative yet supportive figures. Both of them were also second-in-commands; the first of the Jellicle Tribe, the second of the crew of the _Demagogue_). Gus cast himself as Growltiger and Jellylorum as Griddlebone. These were the first arrangements they made with regards to the casting.

Most of the cast members had more than one part. A few exceptions were Tumble, Jemima, Coricopat, Tantomile, Gus, Jellylorum, and Munkustrap. These were playing what were considered to be the seven main roles of the play.

With regards to makeup and costume design, they spared no little detail.

In fact, when Tumblebrutus saw his mother dressed up as Griddlebone, he was amazed by how beautiful she looked. He always thought that his mother was beautiful for a queen of her age, but she looked absolutely stunning dressed up as Griddlebone.

**[Note (Sorry for another one, but I feel the need to enlighten you about this): I know that most of you probably imagine Jellylorum as a middle-aged or elderly queen, mostly because of Susan Jane Tanner's age when she portrayed her in the movie. However, in most versions of the play, the actress that plays Jellylorum is much younger. I think she's only really supposed to be a number of years (cat years, not human years) older than Demeter and Bombalurina. In fact, I saw CATS in April when it was on tour. I got my tickets in December (four months in advance) and My Mom and I drove for three hours down to Houston, Texas just to see it live. It was definitely worth it; we got to sit in the fourth row. But my point is, in the 2010/2011 tour, Jellylorum was played by Lindsay O'Neil, who could not have been older than 27. And she was GORGEOUS. In fact, in my opinion, I'd say she was perhaps the second most beautiful woman on that stage, behind only Aubrey Elson, who played Sillabub (I don't know why, but to me, it seems like the actress that plays Jemima/Sillabub always somehow ends up being the most attractive one. I mean, we got Sarah Brightman from the original West End Cast, Whitney Kershaw from the original Broadway Cast, Veerle Casteleyn from the movie version, and Jo Gibb once understudied her). Anyway, my point is, every time I think of Jellylorum now, I don't think of Susan Jane Tanner; I think of Lindsay O'Neil. Just wanted to let you know this.]**

After that, all that was missing was a name for the musical. After much deliberation, they decided to entitle it _Growltiger's Last Stand_.

Finally, after six weeks of writing and composing, Gus invited his entire theatre troupe as well as all the critics in the city to see the play at the Junkyard (It was customary for the critics to see a musical performed by a non-professional troupe before it ever got released).

Gus had succeeded in convincing his entire theatre troupe as well as every critic in the city to see the Jellicle Junkyard's production of the musical. The Tribe had set up a stage in the clearing where everyone could see them clearly. A huge curtain was up in the air (Quaxo was the one to thank for that feature. Because of his magical ability to move objects, Gus had put him in charge of the tech crew).

After all the critics and Gus' theatre troupe got settled, Asparagus came out onto the stage and said "Queens and Gentletoms, thank you for coming tonight. The credit for what you are about to see must go to three certain individuals: My father, my son, and my son's former employer. The three of them are about to tell you the **true **story of a cat we all regarded as a monster. So, without further ado, I give you... _Growltiger's Last Stand_."

As Asparagus walked off the stage, everyone gave him a friendly applause.

Then Gus slowly entered stage right. He had wrapped himself in a large, starched brown tarp, which he used as a type of cloak. When he was in the center of the stage, a huge poster fell in front of the curtains, with the words "Growltiger's Last Stand" printed on it in huge letters.

Soft music started playing in the background as Gus turned his back to the audience.

Fifteen seconds later, he threw off his makeshift cloak and turned to face the audience, laughing maniacally. He looked as much like Growltiger as you could possibly imagine.

This took everyone by surprise, but it quickly caught their interest.

The music intensified while Gus continued to laugh. He picked up his cloak and tossed it to the side.

The curtains slowly raised, the lighting increased, and Gus walked to the center of the front of the stage, giving a maniacal laugh. The music continued to grow in intensity.

The stage was set up as the bridge of the _Demagogue_, which Tumblebrutus had helped recreate from memory.

There were six other cats on stage at that time: Tumblebrutus (played by Tumble himself), Grumbuskin (played by Munkustrap), Victor (played by Alonzo (he already had the hook on his paw)), Carbucketty (played by Pouncival), George (played by Plato), and Bill Bailey (played by Admetus).

After the music played for about thirty seconds, Gus ceased his maniacal laughing. Then Tumblebrutus, Grumbuskin, Carbucketty, Victor, George, and Bill Bailey all began to sing:

"Growltiger was a Bravo Cat who traveled on a barge.

In fact, he was the roughest cat that ever roamed at large."

Victor stepped forward and sang solo, using a few gestures with his hook: "From Gravesend up to Oxford he pursued his evil aims..."

Bill Bailey sang next: "Rejoicing in his title of..."

"'The Terror of the Thames!" finished Growltiger. He gave another sinister laugh.

The music played for a few more seconds. Then George sang: "His manners and appearance did not calculate to please."

Carbucketty sang: "His coat was torn and seedy; he was baggy at the knees."

Tumblebrutus sang: "One ear was somewhat missing; no need to tell you why."

Grumbuskin sang: "And he scowled upon a hostile world from one forbidding eye."

The six toms on stage other than Growltiger sang together:

"The cottagers of Rotherhithe knew something of his fame!

At Hammersmith and Putney, people shuddered at his name!

They would fortify the henhouse; lock up the silly goose...

When the rumor ran along the shore..."

Growltiger finished the line "'Growltiger's on the loose!'"

Then he wickedly laughed again.

Bill Bailey walked up to Growltiger and sang "Woe to the weak canary that fluttered from its cage."

As part of the script, Growltiger knocked him over as Carbucketty stepped forward and sang: "Woe to the pampered Pekingese that faced Growltiger's rage."

Growltiger knocked him over, too. Then George stepped up and sang: "Woe to the Bristly Bandicoot that lurks on foreign ships."

Growltiger knocked him over as Victor finished the verse: "And woe to any cat with whom Growltiger came to grips."

After he got knocked over as well (being careful not to land on the hook), Victor, the other three toms on the ground, Tumblebrutus, and Grumbuskin sang:

"But most to cats of foreign race his hatred had been vowed!

To cats of foreign name and race no quarter was allowed!

The Persian and the Siamese regarded him with fear!"

Grumbuskin sang solo: "Because it was a Siamese... had mauled his missing ear."

At that point, the opening song ended. The lighting on the stage dimmed a little as Tumblebrutus and Munkustrap stepped forward. A spotlight focused on the two toms.

Tumblebrutus, getting into his own character, looked up at Munkustrap and said "Commander, wherever did the common people hear these rumors? These lies about our Captain... they're outrageous!"

"The truth of reality is that not all of them are lies, Tumblebrutus," said Munkustrap, in his Grumbuskin character, "However, they are indeed rumors, and rumors spread like wildfire in the city."

Tumblebrutus sighed, looked off to the side, and spoke aloud "If only people knew his story the way we did..."

Both toms did not have that much experience with acting, but their performances were actually quite believable.

After Tumble's second line, the spotlight faded out.

The playbill told the audience that the first scene took place the day immediately after the assault on the _Demagogue_. The performers were actually supposed to be the ghosts/spirits of the fallen crew. All except Grumbuskin and Tumblebrutus. The playbills informed the audience that they were still alive.

The next opened up five years earlier and began on the day when a younger Growltiger (played by Asparagus) and a younger Grumbuskin (still played by Munkustrap, but with a few quick modifications done to his costume to make him look younger) signed up to join the feline navy.

The following scene took place on the HMS _Ptarmigan_, and it included Commander Baltrow (played by Skimbleshanks) and Captain Vearhin (played by Bustopher Jones).

Then there were a couple scenes with Joezcam (played by a Jellicle named Augustus, the father of Cassandra and Exotica), and the scenes where Growltiger murdered him.

The next few scenes jumped around a little, until they arrived at a scene that took place five weeks before the assault on the _Demagogue_. However, many of them demonstrated some large acts of kindness that Growltiger had shown towards others.

Much of this part of the musical took place from Tumblebrutus' point of view. These scenes explained various things, such as how Tumble had come to join the crew, how the war with the Siamese started, and how the war ended. It also had a minor subplot of Tumblebrutus' romance with Jemima. Gus had agreed to the idea of putting that in, but Tumblebrutus made sure that the play did not focus too much on him and Jemima. After all, the whole point of writing this play in the first place was to tell people the story of Growltiger's life, not Tumblebrutus's.

The first half of the play ended on the bridge of the _Demagogue_, just like the first scene in the play. It involved Growltiger (played again by Gus) summoning Tumblebrutus, Grumbuskin, Dominev (played by Admetus), Placondgo (played by Plato), and Ralpharite (played by Alonzo).

The second half began with the reconnaissance party arriving in Molesey and taking shelter at Hampton Court.

Most of the second half focused on two plotlines: the reconnaissance party's activities in Hampton, and the conspiracy between Genghis (played by Asparagus) and Macavity (played by a Jellicle named Wangidet, the father of Plato and Admetus).

One of the things Ralpharite had sent Tumblebrutus in his telegram was the news that Macavity had been the one who had gotten a mole on board the ship. He had also sent him a request to think up a reason other than Growltiger's children for why the recon party had travelled to Hampton. So Tumble and Gus had written in the script that the recon party was just there looking for "them."

They did not specify what "they" were, until they came across Roshedam (played by Rum Tum Tugger, which Tumble considered to be the single dumbest casting decision for the whole play). There, they also encountered Dawlimer (played by Quaxo), Scurtena (played by Electra), and Bellazni (played by Etcetera).

However, never once in the script or playbills did anyone refer to them as Growltiger's children. The children's role in the play was something the audience was allowed to interpret freely.

The final scene returned to the bridge of the _Demagogue_. It featured the same characters played by the same performers in the first scene, except Tumblebrutus and Munkustrap were not on stage. And this scene took place on the night the _Demagogue _was attacked.

Soft music began playing in the background.

Then Victor, George, Bill Bailey, and Carbucketty (played once again by Alonzo, Plato, Admetus, and Pouncival respectively) began singing gently:

"Now on a peaceful summer night, all nature seemed at play.

The tender moon was shining bright, the barge at Molesey lay.

All in the balmy moonlight it lay rocking on the tide -

And Growltiger was disposed to show his sentimental side."

At that moment, three more characters came onto the stage. Griddlebone (played by Jellylorum) entered stage left near Growltiger (still played by Gus). Grumbuskin (still played by Munkustrap) and Tumblebrutus (played by Macavity (Just kidding; who do you **think **played him?)) entered stage right.

(Note: the following four lines are the very lines I mentioned in chapter one; the lines that I based this entire fanfic on)

Grumbuskin stood tall and sang aloud:

"Growltiger's bucko mate, Grumbuskin, long since had disappeared.

For to the Bell at Hampton, he had gone to wet his beard."

Tumblebrutus then did a front handspring and sang aloud:

"And his bosun, Tumblebrutus, he too had stol'n away -

In the yard behind the Lion, he was prowling for his prey."

The two of them then left the stage while Victor, George, Carbucketty, and Bill Bailey went to the back of the stage.

Growltiger sang:

"In the forepeak of the vessel, Growltiger sate alone..."

Griddlebone sang:

"Concentrating his attention on the Lady Griddlebone."

The four toms in the back:

"And his raffish crew lay sleeping in their barrels and their bunks."

Then a group of Siamese cats (played by everyone else) started approaching from the back of the stage. They sank in high voices:

"As the Siamese came creeping in their sampans and their junks."

Growltiger: "Growltiger had no eye or ear for aught but Griddlebone."

Griddlebone: "And the lady seemed enraptured by his manly baritone."

Both: "Disposed to relaxation and awaiting no surprise..."

Siamese: "But the moonlight shone reflected from a thousand bright blue eyes.

And closer still and closer... the sampans circled round.

And yet from all the enemy there was not heard a sound.

The foe was armed with toasting forks and cru-el carving knives.

Growltiger and Griddlebone: "And the lovers sang their last duet in danger of their lives."

The next part, Tumblebrutus had improvised in the script. Ralpharite had mentioned in his telegram that Victor had heard Growltiger and Griddlebone singing just after he regained consciousness from his drugged glass and just before the Siamese attacked. He told them it was the Italian opera from one of Growltiger's favorite plays.

Tumblebrutus decided to insert part of "the Ballad of Billy McCaw" instead, remembering how well the Captain and Griddlebone had sung it at the Mariners' Gala.

Once that was over, the music intensified and Jemima sang offstage:

"Then Genghis gave the signal to his fierce Mongolian horde.

With a frightful burst of fireworks, the Chinks they swarmed aboard!

Abandoning their sampans, their pullaways, and junks,

They battened down the hatches on the crew within their bunks!"

The Siamese slowly started to advance on the crew of the _Demagogue_.

Griddlebone: "Then Griddlebone she gave a screech, for she was badly skeered;

I'm sorry to admit it, but she quickly disappeared.

Growltiger: "She probably escaped with ease; I'm sure she was not drowned."

Siamese: "But a serried ring of flashing steel Growltiger did surround!"

The next five minutes involved a fight scene between Growltiger and his four senior staff members against the boarding Siamese army. One-by-one, the crew of the _Demagogue _fell. George had his throat slit, Carbucketty was garroted, Bill Bailey was shot in the back, and Victor was thrown overboard after losing his paw (Alonzo had attached a detachable prosthetic paw to his real one in order to manage this part).

Other a dozen Siamese bodies were scattered across the deck, and Growltiger continued fighting until he was overpowered.

The Siamese sang on:

"The ruthless foe pressed forward in stubborn rank on rank.

Growltiger to his vast surprise was forced to walk the plank.

He who a hundred victims had driven to that drop

At the end of all his crimes was forced to go ker-flip, ker-flop!"

While those lines were sung, the Siamese forced Growltiger over to the side of the ship. Growltiger was forced to jump over it and a huge "splash" sound was heard. The music got a little stronger as the Siamese sang the last set of verses:

"Oh, there was joy in Wapping when the news flew through the land!

At Maidenhead and Henley, there was dancing on the strand!

Rats were roasted whole at Brentford and at Victoria Dock!

And a day of celebration was commanded in Bangkok!"

After that, numerous bells sounded through the air. These were the same bells that had been rung everywhere the day Growltiger's defeat had become known.

The audience was speechless. The critics and Gus' theatre troupe were astounded by what they had just scene. It was... incredible.

There was applause for a good five minutes after that.

Within the next week, _Growltiger's Last Stand _was performed at a major theatre for CATS. Gus still played Growltiger, while all the other parts were covered by his troupe.

The play itself received rave reviews. Every single critic who saw the play gave it a "Pass," which resulted in the play having a perfect rating of 100 out of 100. Gus' next highest-rated play - _A Demon Within _- had a rating of 96 out of 100.

The play also became a major financial success, grossing nearly one and a-half times as much its opening week as _A Demon Within_.

Support for Growltiger gradually increased overtime as well. A great many people actually felt ashamed for celebrating his death.

Tumblebrutus considered that to be the best thing the musical had managed to accomplish.

Gus was proud of his grandson for helping him write one final play.

Unfortunately, a few months after _Growltiger's Last Stand _opened, Gus had been diagnosed with cerebral palsy, which made both of his front paws twitch. That was when he had decided to take a long break from acting. He was far from even considering the idea of retirement, however.

... (Fast-forward back to where we left off at the Jellicle Ball)

Gus stood in the clearing, looking off to the side. He thought he saw a specter of himself as Firefrorefiddle from _A Demon Within_ and a specter of his son Asparagus as Genghis.

Both figures bowed to him and faded out of his vision.

Gus turned back to the front of the clearing and sang softly with a note of sadness in his voice:

"These... modern productions... are all... very well.

But there's... nothing... to equal... from what I... hear tell...

That moment... of mystery...

When I made... history..."

Slowly, he started tearing up. Jellylorum quickly came over to him to comfort him.

It almost broke Tumblebrutus' heart, seeing his grandfather so upset. But at least he had helped him contribute one final work of art to the world of theatre. Knowing that he had led a successful life was what really mattered.

...

After that song, Skimbleshanks got his own song about his job. Tumble found it odd how both of Jemima's parents got a song that year (Jennyanydots' song taking place immediately following the "Invitation to the Jellicle Ball."), yet neither of his parents did. But that did not really bother him.

That song was much more jovial than the previous song, and some found it to be the most enjoyable so far.

And then... Macavity showed up once more. Demeter did not even have to shout "Macavity!" this time.

But she did anyway. A few moments after she did, the ginger cat himself showed up with three of his henchcats. While Macavity cast a spell on the tribe to stun them where they stood, the henchcats captured Old Deuteronomy.

Just before leaving, Macavity whispered the following words into Munkustrap's ear as he passed him by: "If the queens perform a number about me regarding my talents and my reputation, I'll give Father back!"

Once Macavity was gone, Munkustrap gathered up the toms and told them to spread out and search the yard.

While searching, Tumblebrutus found himself worried for Jemima's safety. After all, she was alone with the queens right out in the open. Granted, all the queens knew how to defend themselves, but Macavity's henchcats were strong.

Tumblebrutus recalled something Growltiger had told him on many occasions: the importance of keeping one's family safe. He realized that if the Siamese were to discover that he was a member of the Jellicle Tribe, the Siamese would probably hunt the tribe down to find him. Even though the Siamese support in the city was very low (some of the credit for this went to _Growltiger's Last Stand_), they could still pose a threat.

He realized that they would most likely go after whoever was the closest to him. If Jemima was to be his mate, that would be her.

He began having the same worries Growltiger had about Griddlebone and his children. He loved Jemima deeply, but he did not want to compromise her safety.

For the first time that night, he began to wonder if he really should ask her to be his mate.

He decided to just see how the events of the night turned out.

...

After the musical number, Macavity did indeed return Old Deuteronomy, or what appeared to be the ancient leader. But Demeter revealed to everyone that this person was really just Macavity in disguise.

Macavity tried to drag Demeter away, but Munkustrap and Alonzo saved her.

The two toms did their best to fight Macavity, but they were both defeated.

Mungojerrie moved in after the two guardians of the Tribe had fallen. He attacked his former Boss directly.

That was when everyone moved in on the ginger cat. Ultimately, Macavity accepted defeat, and shorted out the Tribe's electricity to make his getaway.

...

Once he was gone, everyone became concerned with finding Old Deuteronomy and restoring the lights. That was when Rum Tum Tugger suggested consulting the aid of one "Magical Mr. Mistoffelees."

This was Quaxo in his alternate form. He showed up, restored the lights, and - after spinning around on one foot about twenty-four times without pausing - performed a trick to bring Old Deuteronomy back.

After Mistoffelees disappeared in mid-air, everyone calmed down.

...

Macavity and his henchcats had left, Old Deuteronomy had been brought back safely, and the Jellicle Ball was about to come to a close.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, a lovely voice from the back of the clearing:

"Daylight...

See the dew on the sunflower..."

Everyone turned and saw Jemima standing on the hood of the TSE-1.

Tumblebrutus was hypnotized by her voice once again. Just hearing his queenfriend's voice made him feel that his earlier worries were unwarranted. It occurred to him that as long as he took good care of Jemima, the Siamese could never harm her.

Jemima continued singing:

"And the rose that is fading...

Roses wither away.

Like the sunflower, I yearn to turn my face to the dawn.

I am waiting... for the day."

Munkustrap turned to face everybody and told them:

"Now, Old Deuteronomy just before dawn

Through a silence you feel you could cut with a knife

Announces the cat that can now be reborn

And come back to a different Jellicle life."

Everyone gathered around Old Deuteronomy on the right side of the clearing, waiting for him to utter a name.

Then Mistoffelees sharply turned around. Everybody else did this, as well. Grizabella had come back one more time.

Tumblebrutus still wanted to help her, but no one would let him. So he just went to the left side of the clearing with Pouncival. Everybody else had their backs to Grizabella, so he did the same, though he was very reluctant.

For a few seconds, nothing happened. Then the Mystical Divinity started playing music in the background.

Someone began to sing:

"Memory...

Turn your face to the moonlight.

Let your memory lead you.

Open up; enter in.

If you find there the meaning of what happiness is,

Then a new life... will begin."

Tumblebrutus was able to determine that the voice belonged to Grizabella. Despite her outward appearance, she had a wonderful singing voice.

Tumble looked over his shoulder. Grizabella was standing alone on her hind legs in the center of the clearing. Even though almost all the Jellicles had their backs turned to her, she was determined to be heard by them.

Old Deuteronomy and Munkustrap were the only ones that did not have their backs turned to Grizabella. She turned to the left side of the junkyard and sang on:

"Memory...

All alone in the moonlight.

I can smile at the old days;

I was beautiful then.

I remember the time I knew what happiness was.

Let the memory live again."

It was not hard for Tumblebrutus to imagine a young and beautiful Grizabella. Her beauty and figure was well-known, and Tumble could see past her current appearance.

He, Pouncival, Etcetera, and Electra slowly turned around. On the other end of the junkyard, Plato, Admetus, and Exotica gradually did the same thing.

Grizabella sang on:

"Burnt out ends of smoky days;

The stale cold smell of morning.

The street light dies, another night is over.

Another day is dawning."

During that verse, Alonzo, Jennyanydots, Skimbleshanks, Cassandra, Coricopat, Tantomile, and Demeter all turned around to look at Grizabella.

Grizabella continued to sing:

"Daylight...

I must wait for the sunrise...

I must think of the new life...

And I mustn't give in.

When the dawn comes,

Tonight will be a memory, too,

And a new day will begin."

During that verse, Rum Tum Tugger, Victoria, Bombalurina, Mistoffelees, Asparagus, and Jellylorum had all turned to Grizabella. At that point, every single cat in the junkyard was facing her.

Despite the fact that everyone forgave her for whatever she had done, Grizabella suddenly lost her self-confidence. As the music intensified, she collapsed onto her stomach and laid still.

Several of the Jellicles appeared to be seriously concerned for her. Tumblebrutus looked around, thinking _Why doesn't somebody do something?_

Suddenly, Jemima sang from the platform behind the TSE-1 in her heavenly voice:

"Sunlight through the trees in summer;

Endless masquerading..."

This was the third time that night when Tumblebrutus heard Jemima sing. But this time, it was perhaps the most beautiful thing he had ever heard in his life. Her voice practically penetrated his soul; the words she sang carried so much meaning to them.

It was just so amazing to the white and brown tom.

Grizabella slowly sat up and looked to the front of the clearing. She sang with Jemima:

"Like a flower, as the dawn is breaking..."

Grizabella sang the next line in solo:

"The memory is fading..."

While she sang that line, Tumblebrutus was finally certain. He had no doubt left in his mind that he wanted Jemima to become his mate.

Grizabella rose to her feet as the music intensified. Then she sang:

"Touch me...

It's so easy to leave me

All alone with the memory

Of my days in the sun.

If you touch me,

You'll understand what happiness is.

Look; a new day has begun."

Everyone looked off to the side. The sun was just starting to rise over the horizon.

Music continued to play gently.

Tumblebrutus waited for something to happen.

At one point, Victoria stood up. She slowly started to approach Grizabella. Just before she did, she looked back at Old Deuteronomy. He gave her an approving nod, beckoning her to go forward.

Victoria stood right behind Grizabella and gently placed her paw in the elderly queen's.

A smile slowly came onto Grizabella's face.

...

Everybody got a chance to hold Grizabella's paw in their own. Tumblebrutus smiled at her as she passed by him.

Old Deuteronomy bowed to her.

Tumblebrutus quickly figured out that Old Deuteronomy had made his decision.

As everyone sang "Journey to the Heaviside Lair," Old Deuteronomy led Grizabella up to the tire. The Great Staircase slowly descended from the sky. Grizabella stepped on it, looking back only once at her former mate. He urged her forward, smiling at her radiantly.

When Grizabella reached the top of the stairs, the Great Staircase rose back up.

Then it was time for the final song, "The Ad-dressing of Cats."

This song had plenty of depth and meaning to it, which was what several members of the Tribe particularly enjoyed about it.

A few minutes later, the Jellicles faced the rising sun and sang powerfully:

"A cat's entitled to except

These evidences of respect.

So this is this, and that is that...

And there's how you ad-dress a cat."

Old Deuteronomy joined them:

"A cat's entitled to expect

These evidences of respect.

So this is this, and that is thaaaaaaaat...

And there's how you ad-dress aaaaaa... caaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat!"

...

A week later, Tumblebrutus and Jemima were stargazing on top of the TSE-1. Just a few days earlier, the two of them had become mates. They could not have been happier than they were right then.

Tumblebrutus said "Jemima, do you remember that 'Moments of Happiness' thing that Old Deuteronomy brought up?"

"Yes, Tumble," she replied, "What about it?"

"Well, I've been thinking about it, and I think I finally understand what the interpretation he had you present means," he told his mate.

Jemima turned to face her mate and asked him "What might that be?"

"I think each verse had its own meaning," he stated, "The phrases 'turn your face to the moonlight' and 'let your memory lead you' may incite a person to recall their greatest moments of happiness, such as, their moments with a particular person."

"That could be," she agreed.

"Then this 'open up, enter in' part would involve giving your complete trust to this person," Tumble told her, "From there, our relationship with this person could tie in to the part 'if you find there the meaning of what happiness is.' Perhaps something we would actually do with this person would tie in."

Jemima quickly realized where he was going. She stated "So the 'then a new life will begin' part... you think it actually refers to the concept of... procreation?"

He smirked and told her "That is exactly what I think. Old Deuteronomy must have been emphasizing the quality of life to us."

Jemima smiled at her mate in return and told him "That actually makes plenty of sense to me, Tumble. That viewpoint explains plenty of detail."

Tumble turned to her and commented "You and I already know about how much value is in a life."

"That's one of the reasons why I'm interested in creating some of it someday," Jemima told him.

Tumblebrutus remained smirking and told her "I'm glad you and I have a similar interest."

The two of them looked back up at the sky. They tried to search for constellations, but they were already focused on each other, as well as what they had just talked about.

Someday, the two of them would indeed help to create life. They would indeed have children of their own. But for the present, they planned to simply cherish their time with each other.

...

**Well, I'm finally done! Whew, *wipes brow* what a chapter!**

**Just so you know, I plan to write another fanfic in the future that tells the story of what happens next. You see, chronologically, this is number 2 in a set of 6 fanfics that will tell a story. I have a talent of writing these fanfics in a manner in which each one can be read and understood on its own, but if you're interested, here's the order they follow:**

**1. Hidden Truths of the Hidden Paw (Tells the story of Macavity's life)**

**2. The Boatswain**

**3. Choices (Focuses on Mungojerrie's life. Eventually it introduces a subplot of Grumbuskin and his group trying to hunt down Genghis and kill him.)**

**4. Someone To Watch Over You (Ongoing; focuses on Admetus moonlighting as the Great Rumpus Cat and winning Etcetera's love. It also focuses on the surviving crew of the _Demagogue _and their resistance to the Siamese fleet.)**

**5. Magic Meets Love (Quaxo and Victoria have kittens of their own)**

**6. Untitled Ending.**

**As soon as I've finished "Someone To Watch Over You," I'll probably begin work on number 6. I plan for it to be even more epic than this one. Most likely, it will be darker, more dramatic, and more suspenseful, but I plan for THAT one to be my masterpiece.**

**Grumbuskin, Ralpharite, and the rest of the named crew will show up in that one. So, if you liked them, that's something to work forward to.**

**By the way, while a lot of the characters in this story are my OCs, there are six characters that are in a way just semi-OCs:**

**Grumbuskin - he was in the "Growltiger's Last Stand" sketch in West End's original cast as a member of the Bravo Cat's crew. Originally, I had him die in "Choices." But after looking back on all he did here, I decided to go back and rewrite it so that he lives.**

**Victor - he is also in Growltiger's crew. When I saw the show in April, I noticed one of the crewmembers in the "Growltiger's Last Stand" sequence had a hook-hand. I decided to make it be him.**

**George - another member of Growltiger's crew in the original West End cast.**

**Bill Bailey - the West End version of Tumblebrutus (hence the addressed connection of appearances between the two in Chapter 20)**

**Carbucketty - the West End version of Pouncival (hence the addressed connection of appearances between the two in the same chapter as above)**

**Sillabub - the Broadway version of Jemima (hence... well, you know)**

**Have a nice day! I love you all! Thanks for reviewing!**

**Mike**


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